Heaven in a Wildflower
by IchigoTheStray
Summary: She was his first and only love. She helped him through the worst, she was with him every step of the way. She helped him rescue the princess. And yet, history has almost completely erased her. This is their real story.
1. Babes in Arms

Hi, I'm Ichigo and this is my crazy alter-ego, Kaori!

Kaori: Huh...wha...

Well, erm, yes. We fell off the face of the earth. And, erm, yes, we are starting a new fic instead of adding to any of our previous ones. Don't shoot us.

Kaori: Maybe they won't, but I will.

We don't own the Legend of Zelda!

Kaori: Until just a minute ago, I was enjoying a very nice nap, Ichigo...

* * *

History doesn't care what is true and what isn't. It only is concerned about the way things _ought_ to be, especially when it is well on its way to becoming legend. And that is why _she _was ommitted from the story.

The hero must love the princess. That's one of the requirements for the 'legend' status, isn't it? Of course it is. So let's just say that _she _was... an inconvenience. A hindrance. A blemish, a slight smudge on the picturesque tableau of Victory.

And so she remained almost entirely unmentioned in the official account of the story.

But this didn't bother her any more than it bothered the Hero or the Princess. _They _don't care whether or not anybody else believes them. The three of them know the truth, and that's all that matters. The three of them know exactly how important she was in the story of the Hero of Time.

* * *

Malon strode briskly across the field, hurrying to reach Castle Town before the bridge went up at nightfall. She walked as quickly as she could without spilling any of the milk. It was an art she had nearly mastered in her ten years of life, but today she was in a particular hurry.

All in all, it had been a hectic day. They had a long night the day before delivering a calf, and then they both slept in far too late because, as it happened, their last rooster had died in the night and could not wake them. To boot, it was Ingo's day off, so she and her father had to milk the cows alone. Then, to top it all off, Talon had twisted his ankle in the field and Malon had to carry the milk across the field by herself. She sighed. What a day. What a day.

But as she reached the castle her heart sank. She was too late. The bridge was already up.

Great. Now she would have to turn back. There wouldn't be enough time for her to get to the ranch before the sun set and the Stalchildren -

But why was the bridge up already? The sun was on its way down, but there had to be another half hour before it was dark. She trotted forward in curiosity.

Suddenly, it seemed she had stepped into another world. The sky was blotted out with dark clouds and riddled with purple lightning bolts. She could just barely see a small figure standing at the edge of the moat. She strained her eyes to see.

_It's my fairy boy_, she said to herself. She was sure of it. Even from this distance she could make out his funny green clothes. A slightly more adult fragment of her mind touched on the question of why exactly he was _her_ fairy boy, but it was gone before she could really think about it. He was hers because she was ten years old and she had decided he was hers and that was that.

And then the drawbridge dropped. It didn't lower, it dropped, and landed with a deafening crash that shook the ground and nearly knocked little Malon off her feet. A white horse came galloping instantly across the bridge carrying two riders. One of them was a well-built woman of impressive stature; the other was a smallish girl around Malon's age. As the horse grew closer, she could make out the royal crest on the horse's raiments.

_This must be the princess,_ Malon thought with a delighted thrill. _I'm going to see the princess!_

The princess turned and hurled something back towards the castle. It landed in the moat. Malon was impressed. The princess had a good arm. Her eyes followed the white horse as it galloped across the field.

When she looked back towards the castle, she saw a Gerudo man on a black horse talking to Link, if that was his name. Then he drew his sword. The Gerudo man laughed. Malon thought that fairy boy was rather silly. Thinking that he would be able to hurt a grown man on a pure-bred Hylian stallion.

But then the Gerudo man pulled back his arm and cast a ball of light at Link. Actually, it was more like a ball of dark. A ball of dark that struck Link in the chest and crackled through him like lightning.

Malon shrieked. "Fairy boy!" She ran to him as quickly as she could with her two jugs of milk. The black horse galloped away. He was really a beautiful horse, Malon thought.

"Fairy boy!" she said again when she reached him. He was out cold. She gasped when she saw a tiny drop of blood trickle out of his mouth.

"He'll come around," said a tiny, sweet voice. Malon jerked her head around. "Over here," said the voice. Malon realized that it must be the fairy. "Don't worry about the blood," she said. "He bit his tongue when the drawbridge came down."

Malon smiled.

"Sometimes I just can't help laughing at him," the fairy said. "My name is Navi. You're Malon, aren't you? From the ranch?"

Malon nodded. She looked down at Link and sighed. The trickle of blood was running down his cheek. She dabbed it away with her handkerchief.

Navi looked nervously at the sky. "The sun is setting," she said. "If we don't get into Castle Town soon, we'll be stuck out here all night. Wake _up_, Link!"

Malon thought for a bit. "I think I could carry him," she said.

"Are you sure?" Navi said.

"I think so."

"But what about your milk?"

"He's more important," she said. She tipped over the two jugs and let them empty into the dry grass.

"Hurry, hurry," Navi said, flitting anxiously back and forth.

"Here we go," Malon said. With some difficulty, she managed to get him up off of the ground and onto her back. He was heavy, but Malon was no dainty little teacup. She was a strong, sturdy farm girl, and she managed to get him across the moat just before the sun set.

* * *

Link woke in a daze. His vision was hazy and his head was throbbing. He could vaguely see the little ball of fairy light that was Navi hovering over him.

"He's awake!" Navi exclaimed. "How do you feel, Link?"

"My head hurts," he said. "Where am I?"

"We're at my uncle's house," a girl's voice said. "He owns the Bazaar."

Link tried to sit up, but whimpered as a sharp pain shot through his chest.

"He's hurt," said a gruff man's voice.

"Poor baby," the girl said. He felt a small hand on his forehead.

"I'm not a baby," Link protested.

"I think he needs a fairy, Uncle," the girl said. "Could you go get one?"

"At this hour?"

"Please?"

"It's raining."

"Pretty please?"

"Hmph."

"But he's hurt! He might even be dying!"

"What?" Link said, turning his head. "Ow!"

"All right, I'll go," the man said.

"Don't move," the girl said. She climbed onto the bed and sat next to him. He still couldn't see her. Her voice was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"You're lucky to be alive," Navi said. "Malon found us and carried you here."

Malon? He remembered Malon. She was the nice red-headed girl from Lon Lon ranch. He liked her, but being carried by a _girl_? He just hoped nobody had seen them.

"What happened to Ganondorf?" Link asked, wincing at another sharp pain.

"Is that his name?" Malon said. "He ran away."

Link lay there for a long time, each breath more painful than the last. Was this what it felt like to be dying?

The man came back.

"All right, here's your fairy," he grumbled.

"Oh, thank you, Uncle!" Malon said, jumping up and down. Link's lungs were on fire. He clenched his teeth.

Link heard the sound of the bottle being uncorked. Then came the silvery, shimmering sound of fairy wings. A warm tingling spread through him and the pain throughout his whole body vanished. Link sat up and looked around. The room was small, with two simple beds and a table. A pair of roughly cut chairs sat around it. Leaning in the doorway was the massive bearded man who owned the bazaar.

"And you said he's your uncle?" Link said, without meaning to.

"He's my dad's brother," Malon said.

The bazaar owner grunted. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

"Not really," Link said, apologetically.

Malon's uncle grunted again. "I'm going to bed," he said. "Be good, kids."

Malon was still sitting at the end of the bed. She scooted closer, (a little too close), and put a hand on his forehead. Link scampered backwards in terror.

"What are you afraid of?" Malon said. "It's not like I'm going to kiss you or anything." She made a face. Link relaxed slightly, but he still blushed when she put her hand on his forehead.

"Good," she said finally, removing her hand. "You don't have a fever anymore."

"I have to go," Link said, climbing off of the bed.

"Where?" Malon said, scrambling after him.

"Back to the moat," he said, picking up his sword and shield.

"Link, it's three in the morning. The bridge is up."

"I can climb over it."

"It's raining."

Link thought for a moment.

"Oh, all right," he said. He stretched his arms. His muscles were sore. That always seemed to happen after a fairy healed him. And he was fiercely tired, in spite of having been unconscious for several hours. "Hey, Malon?" he said, looking up. But Malon had already fallen asleep. Just fallen back onto the bed and gone to sleep. Link put down his sword and shield and staggered to the second bed. He was asleep before he hit the mattress.

* * *

That's it for now. I know it was short, but it's kind of finals week and I'm having a little trouble getting through the innocent little kids phase of this story. But fortunately that will end by the middle of the next chapter. And then it will get a lot easier, won't it, Kaori?

Kaori: Write it yourself. I'm going back to sleep.

Read and review! Thank you!


	2. The Voices of Children

We're back! Thanks for reading. Now that it's summer, we'll be updating all of our stories more often because we don't have a job. Isn't that nice?

Kaori: No more six-month waiting periods between chapters.

Right. So here's chapter two! Kaori, will you do the honours?

Kaori: As reluctant as we are to admit it, we do not own The Legend of Zelda.

* * *

When Link woke up again Malon was already awake. She sat at the round wooden table eating bread with honey. She smiled at him.

"Good morning," she said. "Are you hungry?" She gestured across the table to another plate and the jar of honey. Malon took a drink from her clay cup and wiped her milk moustache away with the back of her hand.

"Not really," Link lied. His stomach growled loudly and Malon giggled.

"Yes, you are," she said. "Come on, then." She took another drink from her cup.

"He's just shy," Navi said, darting out from under his hat. Link blushed and looked away.

Malon giggled again. "You don't have to be shy," she said. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Her sunny smile made him relax. She reminded him of Saria, a little bit.

When Link had finished eating, they both hopped down out of their chairs.

"I'll come with you," Malon said. "We're going the same direction, aren't we?"

The door led to a larger room with another bed and a fireplace with a blackened kettle. There was another, larger table with nicer chairs set around it and a white tablecloth. There were two doors near the south end of the room; one, Link could see, lead to the alleys, and the other he followed Malon through into the back room of the bazaar. They wove their way through the maze of crates to yet another door, and light streamed in as Malon opened it. They jogged around the counter and Malon waved goodbye to her uncle.

"Goodbye, kids," he said, turning briefly from the irate man at the counter. "I'll see you next week, Malon." He turned back to the impatient customer. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't sell tuning forks..."

Link and Malon walked out into the bright sunlight.

"Are you going now?" Link asked as the crossed the bridge.

"No, I'll stay a while," Malon said. "I just want to be sure you're all right."

A blush spread from Link's turned-up nose all the way to his ears. "I'm fine," he lied. He was still sore and tired.

"No, you're not," Malon said. Fairy Boy was too shy to be a good liar.

Link tried to act nonchalant. "O-okay," he shrugged. Malon smiled to herself.

Link crouched at the bank of the river. "I hope it's still there," Navi said.

"What was it?" Malon asked, looking into the water.

"I don't know," Link said.

"Here it is!" Navi exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement. Link jogged over to where the fairy was, several yards downstream, where the moat became the river. He had to pause and catch his breath before he peered into the water.

"See? I told you you weren't okay yet," Malon said triumphantly. Link mumbled something inaudible. "Are you going to go down in the moat and get it?" she asked him. Link nodded. "Well, all right, but if you stay down there too long, I'm coming in after you."

Link rolled his eyes, which for him was rather bold, and dove into the cold water. It was deeper than he'd thought. The water muted all sounds as he struggled down to the small blue object half-buried in river mud.

Malon and Navi stood on the bank, watching Link's green-clad shape dive deeper and deeper. Malon chewed on her lip. She was wondering how his hat stayed on when he was underwater.

"A-are you going to go in after him?" Navi said, snapping Malon out of her trance. The fairy flitted around anxiously. It seemed to be a habit of hers.

"No, look," Malon said, pointing. "He's coming back up." Link broke the surface, gasping for breath. He held a blue, opalescent ocarina in his left hand.

Link floundered. He was so tired, and the water was so cold... He fought for the riverbank. Malon held out her hand and Link caught it. He felt himself being pulled out of the water. He lay, coughing, on the grass.

"You idiot," Malon scolded. "I told you you weren't all right. And you should have at least left your sword and shield."

Link rolled over onto his back and sat up. His wet tunic was uncomfortable and clung to him in places he didn't really want Malon to see. He pulled his shield off of his back and put it over his lap, pretending to lean on it. Malon gave him a funny look but didn't say anything.

"What is it, Link?" Navi asked.

"It's the Ocarina of Time," he said. "I saw Princess Zelda... it was like a dream... and she taught me a song."

Malon gaped. "How do you know the princess, anyway? What makes you so special?"

Link looked at Navi. "I'll tell her," Navi sighed. "You rest." He lay back in the dry grass, and Navi told Malon everything.

"Wow!" Malon said when Navi had finished. "So you blew up a dinosaur and then you got swallowed by a whale and fought a giant jellyfish and saved the princess of the Zoras?" Link nodded, feeling himself blush again. "Wow!"

"Do you feel better now, Link?" Navi asked him gently. Link nodded and brushed dry grass off of his tunic. "Let's go, then," she said. Malon followed them back into castle town, still awestruck.

"And you climbed all the way up Death Mountain and saw the Great Fairy? Wow!"

* * *

A round-faced little boy and a red-headed little girl stood in front of the Temple of Time.

"I've never been this close before," Malon said. "It's so much bigger than I thought..." She looked over at Link. "I'll go with you for just a little longer. Then I have to go home."

"Okay," Link said.

"You should be thankful," Navi whispered to him from under his hat. "She's saved your life twice now."

But Link didn't listen. He hadn't yet learned the value of a life.

He pushed open the door and they entered the Temple of Time.

It seemed even bigger from the inside. Their soft footsteps echoed back at them a thousand times. Malon stopped to look at a large stone hexagon that was raised up out of the floor several inches. It had the Triforce carved in it, and a strange emblem Malon didn't recognise. The carving was smooth to the touch, very smooth and shallow.

Malon stood up and walked back to the heart of the temple, where Link stood. He was placing three beautiful stones set in gold into the three hollows of the stone altar. Malon looked down at the inscription. It read,

"Ye who owns three Spiritual Stones

Stand with the Ocarina of Time

And play the Song of Time."

Malon turned away again to take in the high, ornate windows. The ceiling was so high that she could not see it at all. She looked back at the door and the stone arrow above it pointing to another window. The sound of Link's ocarina gave the cold and somber cathedral an ethereal chill.

A strange, singing sound caught her ear and she turned around. The stone door behind the altar had completely vanished, revealing another room beyond. The three jewels had begun to spin and the Triforce carved above the doorway lit up gold. Malon gaped. "How did you do that?"

"I just did what it said to do," Link said, slightly bewildered himself. He sighed. He was still tired. He hadn't been sleeping a whole lot, except for last night, and he'd been to hell and back three times in the last month.

"Do you have to go home now?" Link asked, rather reluctantly. He liked having Malon with him. It wasn't as lonely.

"No, I can stay for a little bit longer," she said.

"All right." Link made his way up the stairs and Malon followed. She knew she really should be going home, but childish curiosity told her to stay.

The second chamber was a tall rotunda, but it seemed somehow to be even larger than the other room. Eight veins of stone ran straight up the walls and met at the centre of the ceiling. In front of them was a large, many tiered pedestal with the same kind of strange emblems carved into it as on the stone at the front of the temple, and then again the Triforce. And at the very top was -

"The Master Sword," Navi breathed. Link and Malon climbed to the top of the pedestal. "Pull it out, Link!" Navi said, bobbing up and down.

Link looked a little uncertain. "What'll happen when I do?"

"Here," Malon said, stepping to the other side. "We'll pull it out together."

Link heard Navi begin to protest but he shushed her. Nobody ever said he had to do this all by himself. "Okay," he said. Malon put her hands around the hilt and Link did the same.

"On three," Malon said. Link nodded. "One, two, three!" They both pulled as hard as they could.

All Malon saw ws a rush of blue light. She breathed in the entire world and all that was left were stars.

* * *

Okay. All of the 10-year-old-ness out of the way. But I actually think they're kind of cute.

Kaori: Too bad for you. It's over.

... Have you been eating small children for breakfast again?

Kaori: Come back for Chapter 3! Read and review!

Answer me!


	3. Heaven in a Wildflower

Hi there! We're back with Chapter Three!

Kaori: We're just going to take a moment to respond to some of our beloved reviewers - _Raynre Valence - Sage of Time_: Thanks for pointing that out. Sorry about that, we'll fix it now. _Deathlord996 - _Sorry, farm girls are too tough and chewy. I prefer to snack on tender, juicy princesses. _Dairokkan - _You bet. Just wait and see.

To everybody else: Thank you so much for reviewing! We love you!

Kaori: We don't own the Legend of Zelda. We've been pulling strings for years but to no avail.

We also don't own William Blake's poem, "Heaven in a Wild Flower."

Kaori: That actually might be public domain now... We'll have to check. Here's Chapter Three!

* * *

In his sleep Link heard the voices of angels singing to him.

"_To see a world in a grain of sand  
And heaven in a wild flower,  
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand  
And eternity in an hour."_

Link dreamed he slept in the lap of a golden goddess, cradled like a child in his mother's arms as she hummed a gentle lullaby. But as he slept, the mother began to yield and take another form. A lover's hand slowly stroked his hair. The slightest touch of a kiss on his forehead, the whisper of eyelashes against his cheek.

"_He who binds himself to a joy  
Does the winged life destroy  
He who kisses the joy as it flies  
Lives in eternity's sunrise."_

And Link's dreams began to change. They were dark and magical and filled with passion and mystery. He dreamed things that he did not know or understand. And in this eternity of dreams, he grew older. And when he awakened, he was no longer a child.

* * *

The instant he opened his eyes he felt different. Something about him had changed, but he couldn't quite say what it was.

He was in a crystal blue fountain of a world, shimmering water taking shape and form. In front of him stood a bald, white-bearded man man in a hooded robe, like a monk.

"I am Rauru," he said. "One of the ancient sages."

Link blinked.

"Ages ago, we ancient sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm. This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light. The Temple of Light, situated in the very centre of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces. The Master Sword - the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time - was the final key to the Sacred Realm."

"Malon!" Link said. "What happened to Malon?" But then he clapped his hand over his mouth. His voice! His voice had changed!

Rauru almost allowed himself to smile. "Link," he said, "don't be alarmed... Look at yourself!"

Link looked down at his hands. They were large and strong and sinewy, and someone had given him a pair of protective leather gauntlets which went two-thirds of the way up his forearms.

"Look, Link!" Navi said, fluttering excitedly. "You're big now! You've grown up!"

Link looked over his shoulders and saw that his Hylian shield now fit him properly. He secretly wondered how much he had grown in other areas, but he'd have to check later. "But what happened to Malon?" he said again.

"She is coming," Rauru said. "Look." He nodded to the space to Link's left. He looked down. Someone was rising up out of the golden pedestal. He watched Malon's copper-bronze hair billow up out of the floor and waited eagerly. He would be less lonely when she was with him.

But he did not see her cheery farm-girl face.

What he saw was a beautiful woman. Link almost didn't dare believe that this was Malon until he saw that sunny smile dance around her face.

And Malon couldn't believe her eyes either. Could this tall, strong young man really be her friend Link? But then she looked into his shy blue eyes and saw a touch of that familiar bashful blush colour his cheeks.

Link couldn't take his eyes off her. A strange, warm feeling was welling up in the pit of his stomach and slowly seeping through his whole body. Her gaze was locked on him as well, drinking in his new body, his near perfection. He had always been a cute boy, but this was something else. They hardly noticed that Rauru had begun to speak again.

"... worthy of the title of 'Hero of Time' can pull it from the Pedestal of _are you two listening_?"

Link and Malon snapped their heads back toward the elderly sage. He cleared his throat. "Only one worthy of the title of 'Hero of Time' can pull the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time. Therefore, your spirit was sealed here for seven years."

"_Seven years?"_

"Yes, Malon," Rauru nodded. "Seven years."

Link and Malon looked at each other again.

Rauru cleared his throat. "I'm over here, kids." Gods. Teenagers. He should never have let them see each other, he decided. Good grief.

"We're listening," Malon said.

"Now that you are old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time." He paused. Link looked down. "Well," Rauru continued, "do you understand your destiny?"

Link closed his eyes. _Why does it have to be me? _he thought. _Why couldn't it have been somebody else? _He looked up.

"I understand," he said. Then he glanced down at his friend. They had once been the same height, but now her head just barely reached his shoulder. He furrowed his brow slightly. What would become of her?

Rauru turned to Malon. "As for you, my dear," he said, "I can't say anybody expected you, but I suppose Fate is not obligated to tell us all of her plans." He smiled sadly. "Malon, you were also standing on the Pedestal of Time when Link pulled out the Master Sword. Therefore, your spirit was also inadvertently sealed here."

"Wait a minute," Link said. "We pulled out the sword together."

Rauru shook his head. "No, Link. _You_ pulled out the Master Sword. She merely gave you the courage to do so." He turned back to Malon. "And now you must decide, young lady."

Malon wanted to steal another glance at Link, but she didn't want to be yelled at. So she just stood still and listened.

"You have two choices," Rauru said. "You can forget all of this, forget about Link and the Master Sword and the Sacred Realm, and try to find a new life for yourself in this new world. Remember though, that you have been gone for a full seven years, and people you once knew may no longer recognise you."

Malon digested this slowly, looking down at her shoes. She was wearing leggings now, instead of a dress. She had never worn pants before and she wasn't sure whether she liked them or not. She turned Rauru's words slowly over and over in her head.

"And the other choice?" she asked, still looking at her shoes.

"You can choose to go with Link, and aid him in his quest. I warn you that this mission is very dangerous, and it could even cost you your life. But nobody can tell you what to choose. You must decide for yourself."

Link looked down at her. She had her hands folded behind her back and her head was bowed in thought. Her pretty copper hair fell over her eyes so that Link could not see her face.

_Choose me, _Link begged silently. _Come with me. I don't want to be alone anymore._

Malon stood silently for some time. Perhaps she could just go back to the ranch. Maybe she could find her father again. But what if he didn't recognise her? What if she couldn't find him? What if the ranch didn't even exist anymore?

And if she went with Link, what would happen? What if they failed? What if she died? What if he died? What if they both died? What if she were crippled for life?

The two choices spun around in her head like a ball in a roulette wheel. Daddy. Link. Daddy. Daddy. Link. Daddy. Link. Link. Daddy... Link... Daddy. Link... Daddy... Link...

Daddy...

The ball fell into the slot.

Link.

Malon looked up into her friend's big, sapphire-blue eyes. "I want to go with Link," she said.

Link was washed in a sudden, sweeping euphoria. She had chosen him. She chose _him._

Rauru nodded. "Yes, I anticipated that that would be your decision." He raised his arms up as if invoking some kind of spirit. A swift tongue of fire streaked down from the sky and formed itself into the shape of a gleaming sword. It was slender and tapered, with a double edge and a smooth fuller running half-way down the blade. The guard was a thick but elegant steel filigree inset with threads of gold, and the grip was wound in red leather.

"This is Din's Blade," Rauru said. "The sword used by the goddess Din to defend the Triforce."

Malon slowly reached out a trembling hand, but then hesitated.

"It's all right," Rauru said. "Take it."

Malon reached out again and grasped the sword. She wasn't quite prepared for its weight and she nearly dropped it, but she quickly adjusted. It was balanced perfectly and was easy for her to handle.

"I'm afraid it won't be terribly useful for hacking through bone," Rauru said, "but you may find it more suited to some tasks than the Master Sword."

Malon nodded, examining the sword more closely. The Triforce was acid-etched into the shoulder and set in gold. Link bent down to see. The feeling of his breath tickling her cheek startled her and she cut her thumb on the sword's razor-edge.

"Oh," Link said, softly, taking her hand to look at the tiny wound. Malon blushed and looked away.

"I'm still here," Rauru said, frustrated. Link let go of her hand and quickly folded his hands behind his back, blushing. Malon rested the tip of the sword on the pedestal beneath them and sucked at the cut on her thumb.

"Remember, though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace, Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm! He obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil. His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters."

_What does that mean?_ Malon wondered. She and Link quickly stole glances at each other. Rauru bowed his head.

"My power now has only little influence, even in this Sacred Realm. Namely, this Chamber of Sages."

Malon bit her lip. This was beginning to scare her a bit. She scooted closer to Link. Rauru shot her a threatening look.

"But there is still hope. The power of the Sages remains. When the power of all the sages is awakened, the Sages' Seals will contain all the evil power in the void of the Realm. I, Rauru, am one of the Sages... And, your power to fight together with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time! The Hero of Time, chosen by the Master Sword!"

Link gulped.

Rauru raised his arms up again and a shining gold coin fluttered down from above. Link reached out and caught it in his hand.

"Keep my spirit with you," Rauru said. "And, find the power of the other Sages and add their might to your own!"

The Chamber of Sages began to dissolve into a haze of fog and light. As it vanished from view, they heard Rauru's voice once more.

"Find the other Sages," he said, "and save Hyrule!"

* * *

Link and Malon felt their feet touch the ground and they stumbled slightly.

"Wow," Malon said. "That was weird."

"Do you think it's really been seven years?" Link asked.

Malon shrugged. "I guess we'll see," she said. She looked down briefly at her new body. She wasn't sure whether she liked it or not.

Link was looking at her new body, too. He definitely liked it. Except that it made him feel funny. And he had always been nervous around pretty girls. She was wearing men's clothes but she looked good in them. Link realised that he had never seen a girl in pants before and they were actually a lot more revealing than skirts. Her leggings were an earthy brown and she wore a cream-coloured tunic which was supposed to be sleeveless. It was too big for her in the shoulders and fell a little ways down her arms. Her leather belt accented her breasts and made a point of the fact that her waist was very tiny. He gulped and fought the stiffness growing in his pants.

Malon looked over her shoulder and saw that her new sword was placed in its sheath on her back. That wouldn't do. Her arms were nowhere near long enough to pull it out from there. She undid the buckle on the leather strap which held the sword in place and pulled it loose. She fiddled with the strap for a moment, then retied it so that the sword hung by her right hip. Link watched in curiosity, having given up the battle with his erection.

"A-are you left-handed?" he asked. She nodded, still adjusting the buckle. She finished and brushed some dust from her cotton tunic. "Y-you know, you have an advantage..." Link said, awkwardly, "if you fight with your left hand..." He trailed off, embarrassed, and decided not to say anything else.

"Oh, really?" she said, smiling up at him. "So. Shall we go?"

"O-okay," he stammered.

They jogged towards the door. But then, a stranger's voice stopped them.

"I have been waiting for you, Hero of Time," it said.

Link whirled around, drawing his sword and shield reflexively. Malon put her hand on the hilt of her blade but did not draw.

The speaker was a young man, lean, lithe, and muscular. He wore a tight blue bodysuit with a white cloth breastplate and a high collar that hid his face. He was heavily bandaged and his blonde hair obscured his left eye. The other was a brilliant blood red.

"I am Sheik, survivor of the Sheikah," he said. His eye smiled. "As I see you holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the Hero of Time." He took a breath to continue, but he stopped. His gaze flickered over to Malon and lingered on her, though he was still turned toward Link.

"When evil rules all, an awakening cry will go forth from the Temple of Light to the other sages who dwell within the five temples..."

Malon shifted uncomfortably, wishing he would stop looking at her. His red eye pierced through her. Link had put away his sword, but she left her fingers curled around the leather grip of Din's Blade.

"One in a deep forest..." Sheik continued slowly, "...one on a high mountain... one under a vast lake... one within the house of the dead... one inside a goddess of the sand. Together, the Hero of Time and the Sages will bind the evil and return the light of peace to Hyrule."

Link saw Sheik watching Malon and he didn't like it. He fidgeted a little and coughed slightly, hoping to bring the young man's attention away from her.

"The first sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The sage is a girl I'm sure you know. Unfortunately, equipped as you are, you cannot even enter the Temple. If you want to save the forest girl, head towards Kakariko Village."

Link tensed suddenly and Malon looked up at him. His beautiful eyes were wide. Malon let go of her sword to touch his arm questioningly.

"Saria," he whispered. He felt her hand on his arm and looked down at her, blushing, yet again. He resigned himself to the fact that he would be blushing almost constantly for the rest of his life. Malon curled her hand back bashfully and looked away. Link looked back at Sheik, who stood with his arms crossed, his gaze still fixed on the pretty redhead.

Malon tentatively turned to go, and when Sheik did not stop her, she hurried away, Link following. She could still feel Sheik's gaze boring into her back. She quickened her pace.

Link deliberately jogged behind Malon so that Sheik could not see her. There was something strange about him. Well, several things, actually. Link paused to glance over his shoulder, but Malon grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside.

"I don't like him," she hissed. "I -"

"Look," Link said. He pointed up towards Death Mountain. Malon looked. The benign ring of smoky clouds usually circling the top of the volcano was now a ring of flames. The earth under their feet was dark and barren, as if it hadn't been cared for in years.

"I guess it really has been seven years," Malon said softly. She had been hoping that somehow it had all been a lie.

"I wonder what Castle Town looks like now," Navi said.

Link shrugged shyly. Malon nodded. Navi twinkled.

They cautiously made their way through the barren gardens and down the stairs into Castle Town.

"Oh, sweet golden goddess," Malon murmured.

The once prosperous town was now in complete shambles. Windows were broken or boarded up, storefronts collapsed, roofs caved in. Malon put her hand on her sword.

"Are you sure you know how to use that?" Link said. Malon shot him a nasty look.

"You weren't born holding a sword, either," she said hotly.

"Sorry," Link said, looking down like a scolded puppy. Malon softened. But then she heard a bone-chilling, ominous moan.

"What was that?" Malon said tensely, drawing her sword.

"ReDeads," Link breathed, also drawing.

"Don't get too close to them," Navi warned. "They'll freeze you and suck the life out of you!"

"Run," Link said. "As fast as you can." He took off into the square, Navi in tow. Malon stayed glued to the spot for a minute, then followed at top speed. She was halfway across the square when a piercing shriek ripped through her. Time seemed to stop. She heard those moans growing closer and her hair stood up on end. Two cold, gummy arms snapped around her and she felt teeth touch her skin. A horrific stench filled her nostrils. She struggled and icy pain shot through her.

Link turned when he heard the ReDead's shriek. His heart almost stopped when he saw Malon in its rotting embrace. He rushed to help, but stopped when she pulled her elbow up and slammed it back into the monster's ribs. It released her with another shriek as its brittle bones cracked. Malon dashed away as quickly as she could and caught up with Link.

"Okay, never mind," he muttered to himself as they ran. Within moments they were out of the square. They skidded to a halt as they reached the bridge. It was broken and had fallen into the moat. The break wasn't too big, though, and Link splashed through the water while Malon jumped across. Exhausted, they fell panting on the other side.

"Well," Malon gasped, grinning. "That was exciting."

Link stared. Exciting?

"What?" she said. She sat up, trying to calm her breath.

Link wanted to say something, but there was a catch in his throat. She looked so pretty, sitting on the bank, one knee up, combing her fingers through her silky hair, still panting for breath. Link squeezed his eyes shut and tried once again to fight his arousal.

"Well," Navi said, "Sheik said to go to Kakariko Village. Shouldn't we go?"

"I don't know if I trust him," Malon said, still playing with her hair. It was longer now than it was before and she liked it. She looked down at the tips. No split ends, either.

"Still," Navi said, "it's the only thing we have to go on. We'll have to trust him for now."

Malon sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Okay," she said. She stood and brushed the dry grass off of her clothes. "Come on, then," she said, looking down at Link. He nodded sheepishly and stood. She tossed her head and jogged off towards Death Mountain. He watched her longingly for a moment. She was just so beautiful and strong and -

Malon turned around. "Are you coming or not?" she called. Link sighed and took off after her.

* * *

That's it for Chapter 3! Review, or Kaori will eat you.

Kaori: Sorry, Ichigo, I only eat people at my own discretion.

Come back for Chapter 4!


	4. The Nicest Kids in Town

Hi there! Did you miss us?

Kaori: Don't count on it. Harry Potter's just come out.

Yeah. And our sister has absconded with our copy of the book and is in hiding somewhere, possibly in Upper Whatchacallistan or some place, so we thought we'd finish Chapter Four. But first, a few notes to our reviewers - **Raynre Valence- Sage of Time:** Now that is a very interesting question, and one to which the answer will later be revealed. **Tinkies: **We very much appreciate your enthusiastic use of capital letters. It makes us very happy. **GreenEyedJo: **You must not know very many 17-year-old boys. **Triton668, Little red bookworm: **Thanks! We will.

And that's all.

Kaori: Yup.

Oh, and we don't own the Legend of Zelda.

Kaori: Nope.

* * *

"I've never been to Kakariko Village before," Malon said as they jogged across the field. "What's it like?" 

"Oh," Link said. "It's - uh..." He looked away.

"It's nice," Navi said. "It's very peaceful and quiet. Or, at least, it was last I was there. But I guess that was seven years ago."

"Right," Malon said.

They had set out from the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town around midday, and it was late afternoon when they reached Kakariko Village. The sky was cloudy and the light had a reddish cast from the ring of flames circling Death Mountain, but it was more or less the same village it had been seven years before. Link was relieved. It had expanded, of course, to accommodate the rush of refugees from Castle Town, but it was still pleasant and inviting.

"I'm hungry," Malon said. "Should we find a place to eat and stay the night?"

"Well... I..." Link stammered.

"There used to be this nice lady - the carpenter's wife, I think - who would take people in when they had no place to go," Navi said. "Should we see if she's still there?"

"Okay," Malon said. "Sound good, Link?" She smiled at him and he nearly tripped.

"Uh..." he said. He had always been rather shy and awkward and whatever he was thinking usually managed to tumble out of his mouth. He was painfully aware of this and at present he was trying very hard not to say anything at all, but Malon kept asking him questions.

"All right, then," Malon said. "Lead the way."

As they passed the tree near the entrance to the Village, Link saw the twins whom he had once seen in the market square in Castle Town.

"Look at this guy!" the red-clad man said, laughing. "Ever since he escaped from Castle Town, he's become even more timid!"

"I tell you, I saw him!" the other exclaimed. "I saw the ghostly figure of Dampé the gravekeeper sinking into his grave. It looked like he was holding some kind of treasure!"

"Dampé is dead?" Link gasped.

"You been living under a rock or something? He's been dead for three years!"

"Oh," Link said, rather sadly.

"Did you know him?" Malon asked as they continued on.

"Uh, well..." He trailed off.

Malon stopped short. "What is _wrong_ with you!" she shouted. "You've been acting weird all day! Why won't you talk to me?"

"Because you're pretty," Link said softly.

Oops.

Malon blushed. _Way to go, Link,_ he thought. _Go and make a total idiot of yourself._

"Do I make you nervous or something?" Malon asked. "Is that it?"

Link nodded sheepishly, hanging his head. Malon laughed. "I told you, you don't have to be shy," she said. "Now come on."

Link led her to the house of the carpenter's wife. Malon couldn't help stealing glances at him, admiring his broad shoulders and firm chest and strong arms and legs. Not that his face was anything to complain about, either. She had a desperate urge to touch him.

But as they walked through the door, a familiar, powerful snore overwhelmed them. Malon grabbed Link by the collar and dragged him back outside.

"That's my dad," she hissed.

"Oh," Link said. "That's good, isn't it?" She was making him nervous again, but this time it was because she had him by the collar, and, by previous experience, when someone had him by the collar it was because they were about to knee him in the crotch.

"No, it's not good!" she said. "If he recognises me, he'll make me stay with him!"

"Can't you just pretend you don't know him?" Navi asked.

"He's my dad," Malon said. "I don't want to lie to him."

"Well, he's asleep," Navi said. "And we all know it takes a lot to wake him up."

Malon bowed her head.

"Um, Malon?" Link said in a small voice. "Could you let go of me, please?"

Malon released him and Link sighed in relief, smoothing the wrinkles out of his tunic. He paused for a moment, with his hand on his chest. He hadn't noticed before because he wasn't used to his new body, but it felt like he was wearing a shirt of light chain mail. He tugged open the neck of his undershirt and, sure enough, there it was. He looked up at the sky and silently thanked whoever had given it to him.

"Link?" Navi asked, bobbing questioningly just inches from his face. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, crossing his arms. Malon and Navi giggled.

"All right," Malon said. "We can stay here for now, but the instant he wakes up, we're leaving."

"Oh, hello," the carpenter's wife said as they walked back in. She was a round, matronly woman with rather frizzy brown hair and thick painted lips. "I thought I heard somebody." She turned to them, a ladle in her hand. "I'm afraid I don't have any room here tonight, dears, but I can certainly feed you if you're hungry." She smiled maternally.

"Yes, please," Malon said. "Thank you very much."

"Are you travellers?" The woman asked as she poured soup into a wooden bowl and handed it to Link.

"Sort of," Malon said.

"Oh," the woman said, handing Malon a bowl. "So you're some of _those _types. Poor things." She shook her head. "Bad times. Look at that bearded man sleeping over there. I bet even someone like him has had his share of troubles in the past." She sighed.

Another woman in blue stepped into the conversation. Link hadn't noticed her initially but he recognised her as the woman whose dog he had once retrieved in the middle of the night. "I hear he was fired from his job at the ranch," she said.

Malon choked on her soup.

"I know," the woman said sympathetically. "It's terrible. And before that, his daughter disappeared. Nobody ever saw her again. They say she was kidnapped by some boy from the forest."

Link choked.

"Are you quite all right?" the carpenter's wife asked, looking concerned.

"Fine," Link coughed.

"Well, go ahead and eat, dears, I won't bother you any more."

Malon and Link finished their soup in silence. It was hot and thick, filled with beef and potatoes and mushrooms. Link thought it had quite a lot of pepper in it, but then, Kokiri food was anything but spicy and he had never gotten used to the hot, tingling sensation that accompanied certain foods.

Malon kept a sharp eye on her sleeping father at all times. So all this time he thought Link had kidnapped her... It had never occurred to her that anybody would think that. Although, now that she thought about it, she had last been seen with him. She glanced over at Link and smiled weakly; she assumed that his pained expression meant that he was contemplating the same thing. Either that or the food was too spicy for him.

When they had finished, the carpenter's wife swept over and took their bowls. "Do either of you want any more? There's plenty," she said. They shook their heads. "And don't even think of thanking me, darlings, I'm just happy to help." She set the bowls down next to a stack of other dishes. "If you need a place to stay, there's an inn up the hill next to the Bazaar."

She looked over her shoulder at Malon. "I'd keep out of the bar if I were you, dear. It's not safe for such a pretty young thing like you." She turned to Link. "You'd better take good care of her," she said, with the slightest hint of a threat. "You're a very lucky man to get a girl like her."

Link flushed deeply.

The carpenter's wife turned back to Malon. "And you," she said, winking, "are a very lucky girl."

The carpenter's wife waved them out the door with a smile. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

As they passed Talon, asleep on the bed, they heard him murmuring in his sleep.

"Malon... doing all right... sorry to make you worry..."

Malon bit her lip and walked a little faster.

"Well," she said in a transparently bright voice as they walked out into the failing sunlight. "What a nice lady."

Link nodded. He was contemplating being a kidnapper. In a way, it was somehow a rather attractive fantasy - the kind you read about in books: A mysterious young man makes off with a beautiful girl, he takes her away to his hideaway and she realises he's not really evil and falls madly in love with him... He blushed faintly and glanced down at Malon. He felt the now familiar tightening in his pants and clenched his teeth, resigning himself to the fact that he would probably be having to deal with that a lot from now on.

"So, should we go see if we can get a room at the inn?" Malon asked.

"Uh..."

"And then we can go to the graveyard."

"The graveyard?"

"Sure. That man said that he saw the ghost of the gravekeeper with some kind of treasure. That might be what Sheik was talking about. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

* * *

The bar was dark and smoky and noisy. Malon didn't need any motherly advice to tell her she didn't want to be there. She edged a little closer to Link. 

"Hi," she said nervously to the dumpy old hag behind the desk in the corner. "We'd like a room for the night, please."

The old woman grinned at them wickedly, looking each of them slowly up and down. "I've got one room left," she finally said, "but I'm afraid it's only got one bed. That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, that's fine," Malon said hastily, anxious to get away from the bar. She glanced around the room and saw several seedy-looking men eyeing her in a manner she really didn't like. Link saw them too, and he put his arm very deliberately around Malon's shoulders, hoping to discourage them. Her admirers looked away grumpily.

"It's thirty Rupees for the night," the crone said, grinning again with her rotting teeth. "But I can give you a discount if I hear some noise tonight."

Link didn't know what she was talking about, but Malon did. "No thanks," she said, mortified.

"Okay, fine," the woman said, picking at a scaly patch of skin on her nose. She grinned at them again. "You're cute," she said, tossing the key onto the counter. Neither of them was quite sure which one of them she was talking about. Link took the key and they made their way to the stairs.

"Those weird guys are looking at Malon again," Navi whispered to Link. He pulled her a little closer and they looked away again.

"Thank you," Malon whispered gratefully as they reached the stairs. Link swelled with pride. For once, he had managed to do something right. He removed his arm. Malon was a little disappointed; she liked its weight and warmth around her shoulders.

"You can sleep on the bed," Link said when they reached the room. "I'll sleep on the floor."

"Don't be silly," Malon said. "I'll sleep on the floor. If anybody deserves a good night's rest, it's you."

"I'm fine," Link said, defensively. "I've just slept for seven years."

Malon sighed and rolled her eyes. Machismo.

"There's enough room for both of you," Navi pointed out. Her two companions froze for a moment, then chose to ignore her.

Link put down his things. He opened his backpack and emptied it onto the table. "I bet you won't be able to use some of these things anymore," Navi said. "Your hands are too big."

"I think mine are, too," Malon said. She picked up his slingshot. It was indeed too small; any adult's hands would probably be too big to use it. "Ooooh," she said, putting the slingshot down. "What's that?"

"That?" Link said. "It's the Goron's Bracelet. It - er..." He stopped, distracted. Malon had just leaned across the table to see better and the neck of her slightly oversized tunic had fallen open. He couldn't actually see anything because of several other layers of protective clothing, but the thought of what lay underneath gave him that strange, electric feeling that made his heart pound. "It - m-makes you stronger," he finally said.

"Can I have it?" Malon asked, picking it up.

"Uh... I guess so," Link said. "If it fits you."

Malon squeezed her hand through it and looked at it somewhat admiringly. "It fits," she said. "I guess I have small wrists or something."

"Well," Link said awkwardly, "it was always a little big for me..."

"So," Navi said, tearing Link's attention away from Malon's anatomy. "Should we head off to the graveyard?"

Malon nodded. Link gulped.

* * *

And that's it for Chapter Four. Chapter Five should be coming pretty quickly, since we wrote a very very very very long Chapter Four and decided to split it in half. So that'll be up soon. Thanks for reading, and thanks even more for reviewing! 

Kaori: And if you're not reviewing, _we will hunt you down._

How many times have I told you not to threaten the readers!


	5. Real Life

Yo! It's good to be back. We would have had this up several days ago, but we were having internet problems. These chapters are really writing themselves. And I have to warn you, this chapter isn't nearly as cute. We had to get into the darker and creepier stuff, to show how much their world has changed now that they've grown up really quick.

Kaori: Quickly.

Don't correct my grammar.

Kaori: It's our grammar. I have every right to correct it if it's wrong.

I'm going to ignore you now. And, readers, there will be cute stuff still, I'm just reminding you that there is a reason this fic is rated M. Anyway, we don't own the Legend of Zelda!

* * *

"A-are you sure we should do this now?" Link said. "It's getting dark." 

"You aren't scared, are you?" Malon said, a devilish twinkle in her eye.

Link crossed his arms. "No."

"You are!" Malon said delightedly, clasping her hands together. "That's absolutely adorable!"

Link looked down, embarrassed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be adorable or not. He kicked at a pebble on the ground.

"Should we look for Dampé's grave, then?" Malon said. She stepped into the cemetery. "Oooh!" she exclaimed. "Is that the Royal Tomb?" She darted down the path towards the far end. Link stayed frozen to the spot for a moment, then followed her. A Poe ghost sprang up from the ground and Link froze again. Malon just ran past it, unperturbed. It floated after her for a moment, then turned around, bonked Link with its lantern, and disappeared in a fit of giggles.

"Hey, wait!" Link called, rubbing his head and running after Malon. He caught up to her in front of the Royal Tombstone.

"Awww," Malon teased, "did the mean ghostie hit you?" She stood on tiptoe to rub the top of Link's head. "Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?"

Navi giggled. "N-no thanks," Link said. There was a flash of lightning followed quickly by a rumble of thunder, and a few moments later it began to rain.

"Hey," Malon said. "I wonder who're in these graves?" She stepped over to a gravestone to the left of the larger one. "Royal Composer Brothers, Sharp the Elder, R.I.P. Huh."

Suddenly, a greenish, moustached ghost sprang from the headstone. Malon drew her sword and slashed at it, but it vanished before her blow fell.

"Wow," Navi said, impressed. "She's a natural at this. Unlike some people we know." She gave Link's head a little nudge.

Link hung his head. He had been rather slow at learning to handle a sword. _She's better than I am at everything, _he thought. But in a way, he kind of liked it.

When the ghost of Sharp reappeared Link quickly drew his sword and attacked. The spectre threw its arms up in alarm and vanished again, its glowing spirit lantern the only remaining sign of its existence. In a moment Sharp became visible again and rushed at Link. He struck the ghostly musician once more and it threw its conductor's baton in the air. The lantern fell to the ground and shattered. A puff of green flame and smoke was all that remained.

"GYAAAAH!" the spirit said. "YOU KILLED ME... Unbelievable!"

If it's possible for a spirit to blink, the ghost of Sharp did. "Oh, what? You're not one of Ganondorf's men, are you?" Link shook his head. "Because of my role as a ghost, I had to act like that. I apologise. Now then, let me introduce myself. Ahem...

"I am one of the ghostly composer brothers of Kakariko Village. All the people in this village are born to serve the Royal Family of Hyrule. We brothers also served the Royal Family and were assigned to study the hereditary mystic powers of the family. Though we never could figure out the power of the Triforce, we had almost completed our study of controlling time with the tones of Ocarinas." Sharp paused. "Uh, I mean... Actually, we did complete that study! We would have been famous, if that hateful Ganondorf had not tried to steal our results. We could never let him reap the fruits of our research! That's why we gave our lives to protect the secret."

The spirit of Sharp quivered, then vanished like a candle being blown out.

"Wow," Link said, shaking the rainwater off of his hands.

Malon sighed. "I wonder what the other brother has to say?"

Link glanced up at the sky, getting water in his eyes. The storm clouds had darkened it and the sun was well on its way down. "Malon, couldn't we just go back?" He really didn't want to be in a graveyard in the rain in the dark. But at least for once he had a companion other than a fairy.

"We've come this far," Malon said. "We may as well talk to the other brother."

"Weren't we looking for Dampé's grave?" Link said. "Can't we just -" But Malon had already reached the other tombstone.

After another tussle with Flat the Younger, they got the rest of the story.

"GYAAAAH! I'M DEAD AGAIN!" he bellowed. "What? You again?" Flat was silent for a moment. "Somehow you remind me of Princess Zelda... Hmm..."

Malon burst out laughing. "Link," she said. "He's talking to you!"

The spirit of Flat continued. "Since you may have some connection with the Royal Family, I will tell you a little more of our tale. Back then, people called us great composers because of the many musical masterpieces we wrote. But we brothers were not just composers. We had a mission to analyse the mysterious powers of Hyrule's Royal Family."

"Yeah," Navi said, "we heard that already."

Malon was still incredibly tickled by the notion that Link might somehow resemble Princess Zelda. She knew that was not how Flat had meant it, but she was still laughing at the thought of Link in a pink dress and slippers and a crown. Link could tell what she was thinking and he wasn't altogether pleased.

"Our names would be a part of Hyrule's history if we could complete our research! We kept our study extremely secret until we completed it. To tell the truth, each of us was studying a different song, one to summon the sun and another to summon the moon. If you were really sent by a member of the Royal Family, I will tell you about the results of our study."

"Go on," Malon said.

"We inscribed it on the Royal Tombstone. As a messenger of the Royal Family, you should show your credentials on top of the Triforce Mark..." The spirit of Flat vanished just as his brother had.

Malon was still giggling. "Hey," she laughed. "You even have pierced ears!" She reached up and tugged at his earring.

"Hey," he said, hurt.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just teasing you. I didn't mean to threaten your masculinity or anything." She reached up and touched his other ear. "You really don't look like a girl at all, I swear," she said, earnestly. "And I think the earrings make you look pretty cool." she played with his earlobes and a strange, shivery feeling shot through him, spreading goose bumps across his whole body and sending his blood flowing to certain places he didn't want it to.

_Link, this is no time to get a boner!_ he told himself. He sucked in a shuddering breath. "Malon?" he said. "Please stop that."

"Why?" she said, smiling. "Ticklish?" She scratched gently behind his ears and his eyes widened.

"N-no," he choked out, pushing her arms away. "Just... don't. Please."

"Okay," Malon said. She sighed. It was fun to tease him, but she felt kind of guilty. _Poor shy Link, _she thought. _I'm being really horrible to him, aren't I?_

"Link, shouldn't we try to get into the tomb?" Navi said. Link's heart sank, but he still went over Triforce Mark and pulled out his ocarina.

"What did he mean, 'show your credentials?'" Malon asked Navi.

"That song he's playing is called Zelda's Lullaby," Navi answered. "They only teach it to messengers of the Royal Family."

"Wow," Malon said, moving closer. She watched his eyes open as he played the last few notes.

Those eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes.

A crackling sound distracted her. She looked over at the great headstone of the Royal Family. A strange ball of lightning was forming in the centre of the stone. She shielded her eyes against the bright light. Suddenly, she and Link were flung back onto the ground as the stone marker exploded. A tiny fragment of shrapnel sliced across Link's jaw as it flew by and he hit the ground with a heavy thud, knocking the wind out of him. Malon landed on top of him and he gasped for air.

Malon pushed herself up and looked down at Link. "Sorry," she said. She caught her breath. He was _so_ gorgeous. And wet. And the way he was looking at her made her feel like she could just melt away into the ground. She leapt away from him.

Link sat up, wincing. He was sure he would have a nasty bruise on his back in the shape of his shield. He touched his hand to the stinging cut on his jaw and it came away bloody. He winced again. The salty rainwater just made it worse.

"Look!" Navi said. Link and Malon looked back at where the gravestone had once been. There was a square hole in the ground.

Malon rose and held her hand out to Link. He took it and stood up, groaning.

"I guess we should go down there," Malon said.

Link swallowed hard. Malon patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Hey, it'll be okay. And I promise I won't make fun of you any more."

Link gulped again. His hands were trembling. "Okay," he said.

"Here. I'll go first." Malon stepped forward and jumped down into the catacombs below. Link took a deep breath and followed.

* * *

It took Link's eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light. He saw only the off-white of Malon's tunic at first, but the rest of his surroundings gradually sidled into view. Malon stood still for a while to wring some of the water out of her hair. 

A passage led deeper into the crypt and they followed it to a large room with writing carved into all of the walls. It was strewn with human bones. A bat-like creature immediately swept down on Malon. She shrieked a little and held up her hands. It scratched her and flew away again.

"Keese!" Malon said. "I hate Keese." She drew her sword. Another Keese flew at her and she slashed at it. Her blow removed the creature's head and it fell dead on the floor.

Link was also fighting the small monsters, but they kept flying out of his reach.

"Wait for them to attack you," Navi said. "When they get close, kill them!"

Link nodded. The Keese weren't actually all that dangerous, but they were annoying. One by one, the bats fell dead.

The sound of metal bars moving caught Link's ear and he looked up. A door had been unblocked at the far end of the room. He headed toward it.

"Hey," Navi said. "Over here!" She bobbed around a skeleton leaning against the wall. Malon gingerly stepped around the bones and looked down at the dead man.

"Those who enter the Royal Tomb will be obstructed by the lurkers in the dark."

"What does that mean?" Link said.

"I don't know," Navi said. "But I don't like it."

"Neither do I," Malon said. She shook her head.

"It's not too late to turn around," Link said hastily.

"Nice try," Navi and Malon said in unison. Link sighed.

"Come on," Malon said. She went over to the uneven stairs leading to the door and hoisted herself up. Link was watching her, mesmerised. Her wet tunic clung to her very closely and the pants she was wearing showed off her legs. He knew he shouldn't be looking, but he couldn't help himself. He followed her up the stairs and through the doorway.

A powerfully foul stench overwhelmed them and they froze when they heard the horrible moans of the ReDeads.

"How many are there, Navi?" Link breathed. The fairy zipped down the passage into the next room.

"A whole bunch," she said. "And there are acid pits, too. Be careful!"

Malon nodded, chewing on her lip. She looked up into Link's big, beautiful eyes and he looked back into hers, so lovely and purple-blue. Link wanted to take her hand but he didn't dare.

"Ready to run?" Navi asked.

Link drew his sword and shield and nodded. Malon followed suit. Link took a deep breath and launched himself out of the hallway.

"Go to the left!" Navi shouted urgently.

Link skidded in front of the zombie-like creature in the corner and accidentally stepped into the pool of green acid beside him. It wasn't very deep, however, and his heavy boots protected him. He raced on along the path, now understanding the layout of the smoke-filled room.

Malon followed him at top speed, the nauseating smoke stinging in her lungs. When they had passed the ReDeads, she breathed a sigh of relief and slowed to a halt. But as she was jogging towards the Royal Tombstone, she slipped in a puddle that had dripped from Link's boot and sank her right foot deep into the pit of hissing green liquid.

When Link had misstepped, he had been safe, but Malon was a good deal smaller than he was, and the acid rushed in over the top of her boot. She snatched her foot away as quickly as possible.

"Are you all right?" Navi gasped.

"Yeah," Malon said, bewildered. She didn't really feel anything at all, just a slight tingling, as if her foot had fallen asleep.

"This poem is dedicated to the memory of the dearly departed members of the Royal Family," Link read. "A rising sun will eventually set, a newborn's life will fade. From sun to moon, moon to sun..." Link's eyes flickered across the words on the tombstone. Malon squirmed. Her foot was starting to itch.

"Give peaceful rest to the living dead," Link continued. "Restless souls wander where they don't belong, give them calm with the Sun's Song." He looked down at Malon again. "You sure you're all right?" he said. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Well, it didn't at first," Malon said. "But it's starting to burn a little."

Link gave her another worried look but turned back to look at the place where the Sun's Song was engraved on the tombstone. He pulled out his ocarina and played it, hesitantly.

Malon heard a strange noise from the room behind them. She gritted her teeth against the ever-worsening pain and limped to the doorway.

"The ReDeads," she gasped.

"What?" Link said, whirling around. He dashed to the door.

"Look," she said, leaning on the wall for support. The ReDeads were frozen in place, glowing white.

"It's because of the Sun's Song," Navi said excitedly.

Link nodded. "How long do you think it'll last?" he wondered.

"I have no idea," Navi said.

"I guess we should go now, then," Link said, starting out.

"Wait!" Navi said. "Are you sure you'll remember it?"

"Uh..."

"Play it one more time," Navi said, "just to be safe."

Malon felt the acid burning away at her skin as if it were fire. She could feel her eyes starting to tear up and she clenched her teeth harder, still leaning in the doorway to stay upright. She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard Link play the Sun's Song again, trying to think about the pure voice of the ocarina, or how delicious Link had looked, lying on the ground in the rain, or _anything_ except the excruciating pain searing her foot and crawling up from her ankle.

"All right," Link said, appearing at her shoulder. "Let's go."

Malon limped after him as best she could, but she could barely stand for the pain of the acid eating away at her. A flood of adrenaline coursed through her veins as the ReDeads slowly began to move again. She was almost there, just a little farther...

Malon collapsed in agony just before the passageway. Her hair stood on end as she heard the terrible moans of the ReDead creeping up behind her.

"Link!" she cried.

Link skidded to a halt in front of the door and whirled around. He saw Malon lying helpless on the floor behind him and rushed to her side. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he snatched her from the floor before the ReDead could immobilize them. Then he dashed up the passageway and through the door.

Link paused for a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, but a whimper from Malon brought the panic crashing back.

"It hurts, Link," she whispered, squeezing his shoulders in pain.

"Hurry, Link," Navi said from under his hat. He didn't need to be told twice. He leapt down the uneven stairs and ran for the exit as fast as he could.

Link dashed through the graveyard, hardly seeing, hardly hearing, hardly feeling the rain beating down on him or the earth beneath his feet. All that registered in his mind were the arms that clutched him for comfort and the head buried in his shoulder and the pained voice in his ear. Malon did not scream, but Link almost wished she would, because every little gasp and cry and whimper was like a knife between his ribs.

When they reached the inn Link rushed her upstairs as quickly as he could. As he reached the top of the stairs he heard a snickering voice remark, "Well _they're_ sure in a hurry, aren't they?" to roars of laughter.

Link had to put Malon down on her left foot for a moment while he fumbled with the key. Once he had succeeded in opening the door, he put his arm under her knees and lifted her again. He carried her across the room and set her on the end of the bed. Then he grabbed the water pitcher and the washbasin from the dresser and brought them to her.

Malon cried out as he gingerly removed her boot and poured the water over her foot. It was red and blotchy and the skin had sloughed off in some places. Link winced. It looked terribly painful. He admired her for handling it so well.

"How does it feel?" he asked.

"It hurts like hell," Malon said bluntly. Link's face fell. "But it's a little better than it was before," she added. "It's not getting any worse now."

Link stood. "I'm going to get a doctor," he said. "You stay here."

"Yeah, like I'm really going anywhere," Malon said, rolling her eyes.

Link closed the door behind him and was halfway down the hall when something occurred to him.

Malon looked up as the door opened again.

"Hey, Malon?" Link said. "I'm going to lock the door, okay?"

"What for?"

"Well... uh..." he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "So if any of those guys... you know...downstairs... try to come up..."

"Okay."

Link turned again and closed the door behind him. Malon heard the key click in the lock. She was grateful; she had just realised herself that if anyone had come up and tried to take advantage of her, she really couldn't do a damned thing to stop him. Even her sword wouldn't really help her against the brutes downstairs, crippled as she was.

Link jogged down the stairs and came to a halt at the front desk. The rotting old bat previously attending it had gone and a rather timid-looking, bespectacled man had taken her place.

"May I help you, sir?" he asked in a mousy little voice.

"Where can I find a doctor?" Link said urgently.

"Oh - um..." the man said, adjusting his glasses. "Down the hill and to the left, across from the shooting gallery."

"Thank you," Link said, dashing off.

The man peered after him, wishing that he could be young and handsome again, that he had been the one carrying that lovely copper-haired girl up the stairs.

A thought flickered through his head and he grinned as wickedly as the old woman had. He reached under the top of the desk and retrieved a spare key.

* * *

And that's it for Chapter 5! Again, this chapter was running really long, so we had to crop it and put the rest in the next chapter. 

Kaori: Review!

Review _please,_ Kaori.

Kaori: Oh, shut up.

If you're allowed to correct my grammar, I'm allowed to correct your manners!


	6. Stalker

And Chapter 6 is here!

Kaori: That was quick.

Yup. But let's just get to it, okay?

Kaori: We don't own the Legend of Zelda. It's just a crazed obsession of ours.

Oh, I wouldn't say crazed...

Kaori: I would.

* * *

Malon lay back on the bed, trying to calm her ragged breath. She was bored and alone and in pain and she didn't like it one bit. She was uncomfortable with her sword still dangling by her side, so she sat up again and undid the strap, letting the blade clatter to the floor. 

When she lay down again, she was still uncomfortable, and not because of the hideous pain in her foot. She sat up again and decided to investigate what was under her tunic. She undid her belt and pulled the cream-coloured cotton over her head. Underneath was a shirt of chain mail which she also removed. Beneath this she discovered a protective leather vest laced tightly up the front. After a fierce battle with the laces she discarded the vest and was left with a tightly woven shirt of raw silk that hung loose in the neck and tended to slip down her shoulders a bit now that the rest of her clothing was no longer holding it in place. When she looked down the front she could see that her breasts were bound up in a long strip of cotton.

She sighed and lay back again, much more relaxed. But now she needed to find something else to distract her from the searing, itching acid burn. She resorted to counting knots in the wood of the ceiling. One, two, three, four... twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight... fifty-two, fifty-three...

The key clicked in the lock. Malon looked up, hoping that Link had managed to find a doctor.

But it was not Link. Instead, it was a small, timid man, middle aged, with thin, greasy brown hair and round, wiry glasses. He looked at her hungrily.

"Hello there, my dear," he said, advancing slowly. "I've been wanting to meet you ever since Ghidora described you to me."

Malon sat bolt upright. "How did you get in here?"

"I'm the co-proprietor," he said slowly. "I have a copy of every key."

"Stay away!" she shouted. She grabbed for her sword and drew it, holding it with both hands to keep it steady. She might not have been able to fight off one of the massive men in the bar, but this man was small and scrawny and short-sighted.

He stopped, his eyes focussing on the slender blade of Malon's sword. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" he said. "You don't know how to use that."

"You want to bet your life on it?"

The man stopped, but continued to watch her evilly. She knew he was looking down her shirt, but she didn't dare take a hand off her sword to pull her neckline up.

"What's your name?" he asked, hardly blinking as he watched her. Malon said nothing. "You look very alluring like that," he commented, nodding to her. Her face was nothing but cold silence.

Link was leading the doctor down the hall when he saw that the door was open. His heart skipped a beat and he rushed ahead. As he reached their room, he heard a man's voice say, "There's nothing quite as arousing as a powerful woman rendered helpless."

Link burst through the door. "Link!" Malon said, relieved. "Oh, thank you, dear goddess."

The co-proprietor whirled around. A look of absolute terror crossed his face and he darted around Link, crashed into the doctor, and finally made his way out the door. Malon sighed and dropped her sword.

Link was at her side in an instant and pulled her into a tight, fraternal embrace. She returned it. When Link pulled away his face had turned very red.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Well, I feel like shit, but otherwise I'm okay," she said.

Link was surprised by her language. "Oh, come on," she said. "If I'm an adult now I can use adult words."

"I brought the doctor," Link said.

The doctor was a kindly looking man with smooth features and dark brown hair streaked with grey. He came over to the bed and opened the bag he carried with him. He looked questioningly from Link to Malon.

"How did this happen, exactly?"

Link and Malon looked at each other nervously and Malon made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. The doctor raised his eyebrows but did not press the subject any further.

The doctor examined Malon's foot closely and grimaced. "This is pretty bad," he said.

"But will it heal?" Link asked worriedly.

"Oh, it'll heal," the doctor said. "But it may take a while."

Malon's face fell and she looked at Link apologetically. He sent her a look, saying, _It's not your fault._

The doctor removed a jar of a clear, gelatinous substance from his bag and uncorked it. He dipped his fingers into it and reached out for Malon's foot.

"This will sting a bit at first, but it'll start to feel better soon," he said.

Malon made a face. Link tentatively held out his hand to her and she took it.

She squeezed his hand hard as the doctor rubbed the salve onto her foot. It stung terribly, but only for a moment; then the pain began to diminish, fading to a numb, prickling sensation. Malon drew her hand away. Link didn't want to let go, but he couldn't possibly let her know that there was anything more than friendship behind his actions.

"I'll leave this with you," the doctor said as he wound a bandage around the burn. "You'll want to put more of the salve on every few hours or so."

When he had finished he turned to Link. "You take care of her," he said. "Don't let her walk on it until it's healed. And be sure to rinse out her shoe thoroughly."

Link nodded.

"And you," the doctor said, turning to Malon, "be sure to get some rest." He packed up his bag, placing a box of bandages and the jar of salve on the table. When he reached the door, he hesitated for a moment. "And, whatever you were doing," he said over his shoulder, "don't do it again."

When the doctor had gone, Malon flopped dejectedly back onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

Malon shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "It's just..."

"What?"

"I... I was supposed to come help you. And now, I'm already..."

"It's not your fault," Link said. "I mean, if it weren't for you, I never would have gone down there." He watched her carefully. Her face betrayed nothing. "Malon," he said. "I'm glad you're with me."

She turned her head to look at him, her face still impassive.

"You- you don't know how lonely it gets," Link said softly, looking down at the floor. "So I'm glad. Even if it means waiting a little longer."

Malon looked back up at the ceiling.

"Don't you believe me?" Link said in a very small voice.

"Of course I believe you," she said. "You're a lousy liar." She sighed. "I just think you should go on without me."

"What?" Link said. "There is no way I'm leaving you here by yourself, not with all these - these -"

"Sexual predators?" Navi suggested.

"Uh, yeah - everywhere." Link had absolutely no idea what that meant, but it sounded right.

Malon closed her eyes. For a moment there was silence. Link watched her longingly. She was so pretty. He wanted - he wanted - something... He furrowed his brow.

"I'm not really that important," Malon said finally.

"What are you talking about?" Navi said. "Link would be dead by now if it weren't for you."

Link nodded. Malon said nothing. Link was getting tired of this. He wondered if all girls were this stubborn. He stood up.

"I think I'm going to go downstairs," he said.

Malon still said nothing.

"I'll lock the door," he said, meekly.

Nothing.

"I'll stay with Malon," Navi said. "If anyone tries to get in, I'll come to get you right away."

"Okay?" Link said to Malon. Still nothing. Link hoped she wasn't mad at him.

Malon heard the key click in the lock. She sighed.

"Hey," Navi said, bobbing over. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"

Malon shook her head. Navi sighed a twinkly fairy sigh.

"He was really happy. When you said you'd come with him. He was so happy."

Malon opened her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes," Navi sighed. "He's confused, you know. He doesn't understand what he's feeling right now."

"How do you know all of this?" Malon asked.

"I live in his hat, remember? I know him pretty well."

"But what do you mean, 'what he's feeling right now?'"

"Well, the Kokiri are all children, you see," Navi said. "They're born from flowers. So they don't know anything about - well - things like that. You - you do know what I mean, don't you?"

"Yeah," Malon said. "My cousin talked to me about it." She made a slightly disgusted face as she thought about what her cousin had told her.

Navi laughed.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," she said. "I was just thinking that you're both still kids, really." She sighed. "But not for long."

"Wait a minute," Malon said. "If the Kokiri are children, then why did Link grow up?"

"He's not a Kokiri," Navi admitted. "But he doesn't know it. And I don't think we should be the ones to tell him."

"You mean he has no idea?"

"Well, he knows he's different," Navi said. "He's always known that. And so he's always been a little lonely."

"Wow," Malon whispered. She sat up and started combing her fingers through her wet hair, trying to pick out the tangles.

"I hope he's all right down there," Navi said. "He's so shy, you know. It's debilitating."

Malon nodded.

"He hates to see people suffer," the little fairy said. "That's really the only thing that's kept him going up til now. And I can tell he really wants to be your friend."

Malon looked down, her expression unreadable even to Navi.

_And maybe more than a friend,_ Navi thought, but she said nothing.

* * *

Link sat at the bar, as far away from the other people as he could. They were talking and laughing loudly: brawny, brute-like men and large-breasted women with low necklines and painted lips. Link tried very hard to be invisible, but it was harder now that he was nearly a foot and a half taller.

"Hey you! In the green clothes!"

Link winced and turned around to see a mammoth of a man with wide shoulders and powerful forearms. "Yes?"

The massive man strode over to Link and sat beside him at the bar.

"So," he said.

"Yes?" Link swallowed hard.

"Who was that sweet little lady you came in with?"

"Uh..."

"Hell of a catch you got there, buddy." He gave Link a congratulatory punch in the shoulder.

"Uh, catch?"

"Well, she didn't look like no floozy. So she is yours, ain't she?"

"Well... not exactly..."

"Oh," the man said. "Sorry, buddy. I mean, she ain't her your sister or nothin', is she?"

"No, I... She's just..." Link took a very large gulp of his drink.

The man gave him a strange look. "Just a friend? You came here and you ain't even doin' her or nothin'? You part of some weird religious cult?"

Link shook his head. "I - I don't really know what you mean," he said, trying to disappear.

"I bet he grew up real sheltered," said a sultry woman's voice. A brunette with curly hair had come over and attached herself to the stranger's arm. "Am I right?"

"Well..."

The large man scoffed.

"Be nice," she said, pouting and tickling his chest.

He shrugged her off. "I'll be waiting for you, Jezebel." He turned on his heel and stalked off to his companions.

The woman named Jezebel glided over to Link in a manner somehow like a cat and a snake at the same time. She wore a red dress and had red feathers in her polished mahogany hair. Her lips were painted red and her cheeks were heavily rouged. She slid so close to him that he could feel the heat from her breath.

"What are you drinking?" she asked. Her voice was low and husky and gave Link that funny feeling that Malon kept giving him. She looked down at the clear, slightly green liquor in his glass. "Ooh. You have expensive taste."

Link shifted away from her. Kokiri liquor was the only hard drink he had ever had. It was sweet and strong and very hard to get outside the forest.

Jezebel advanced on him and he scooted as far away as he could without falling out of his chair. She moved up against him and put an arm around his neck. She smelled of perfume and sweat and tobacco and alcohol. Link could feel the eyes of the other men on them as Jezebel slid even closer, pressing her breasts into his chest so that when he looked down he could see down the neckline of her dress.

"So," she said, sliding a finger inside his undershirt and along his collarbone. "Tell me, do you have any idea what my friend was talking about just now?"

Link leaned away. "N-no, not really," he squeaked. She smiled and tickled the hollow of his throat. His hand flew up and caught her wrist, hoping to keep her away, but she just took his hand and held it up to look at it.

"Ooh, such big hands," she said in her low, pouting voice. "I bet you're pretty big downstairs, too." Link blushed, still desperately trying to escape. She put her other arm around Link's neck. "Here," she said. "Let me tell you a little secret." She leaned up and whispered in his ear. The rest of the bar roared with laughter as Link's face grew gradually redder and redder.

_So that's what you've been dreaming about, _said a voice in Link's head._ And that's what you were afraid somebody would do to Malon. _Suddenly, it all made sense. He reached out for his glass and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.

"Hey, buddy!" one of the other men called. "You're worried about your friend, aren't you?"

Link nodded sheepishly, doing his best to detach Jezebel.

One of the others laughed. "We wouldn't try nothin' with her. That's what we got these broads for." He pulled the blonde girl beside him into his lap and gave her a squeeze. She gave an indignant snort and hit him playfully.

Jezebel's fingers had begun to crawl up his neck and he was trying to stop blushing but he couldn't help it.

"I'm making you hard, aren't I?" Jezebel said huskily, her hand now caressing the base of his ear while the other was sliding down his chest.

_Not there, damn it!_ Link thought, squeezing his eyes shut.

She leaned forward so that their faces were nearly touching. "How about you come with me and I'll make you a real man?" she whispered seductively. Link froze, terrified. "For you I'd even do it for free. We don't get many like you around here."

"No thanks," Link said hastily. He shook her off and dashed up the stairs as quickly as he could.

He was sure he would never, ever be able to look Malon in the eyes again.

* * *

And that's Chapter 6! Oh, how could we do that to poor, innocent Link?

Kaori: Well, he had to get the talk somehow, honey.

Oh, yeah...

Kaori: Be sure to review and come back for Chapter 7!


	7. The Lady's Got Potential

Hi there! Wow, it's been a hell of a long time, but we're glad to be back. We've been pretty swamped for time because we had to apply to college and all that jazz, but we finally finished this chapter.

Kaori: Finally.

And we've got to thank you all so much for being so great. Believe me, you have no idea how stunned we were when we saw that this story had over 100 reviews!

Kaori: But anyway, you've all been waiting long enough. We don't own Zelda, and here's chapter 7!

* * *

Link sighed as he shut the door behind him and locked it. He turned and was about to say something, but he stopped short.

Malon was asleep.

Link was captivated. She looked extraordinarily different. The candles had gone out and her face was pale and placid in the silver moonlight, still and perfect as a china doll. Her hair was illuminated and it glowed like a halo all around her. Link thought she looked like some ethereal being, sent down to earth just for one night. She reminded him strongly of a time when he had found Saria sleeping in the Sacred Forest Meadow; the same gentle breathing, the same purity of expression - the purity found in only in the very young and the very old. He wanted to touch her, but it seemed that if he did she would dissolve and vanish into smoke and starlight.

He moved closer and sank to he knees, watching her quiet face and the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders. A strange impulse lit up inside of him and he leaned in to her. But as he drew nearer, Navi sprang up out of nowhere and flew into his face.

Link stumbled back in surprise. "Link, you bad boy!" Navi said. "I'm telling Malon you were watching her while she was sleeping!"

"Why?" Link said, bewildered. "Why is that bad?"

"You were going to kiss her, weren't you?"

"No!" Link said, desperately. "I didn't do anything!"

"But you were thinking about it," Navi scolded.

"No!" he protested. "I wasn't thinking anything!"

"You're lying," she said, still bobbing in his face. "You were thinking naughty things."

"I didn't mean to," Link said feebly. Navi flickered sternly. "I'm sorry," he offered in a tiny voice.

"Hmph." Navi fluttered away. Link sighed. He was exhausted.

* * *

Malon woke around mid morning, blinking in the bright sunlight. Her foot was hurting again and she winced. She pushed herself up as her eyes adjusted to the light. She yawned.

She smiled as her eyes fell on Link. He was so beautiful. He had removed his tunic and his undershirt to use as a pillow. His hat was also gone, and his blonde hair spilled around his shoulders. His bronzed skin and muscles shone in the sunlight. Malon felt a little guilty; she had meant to leave a blanket out for him. But her guilt gradually ebbed away as she watched him.

_He's going to make some girl really happy some day_, she thought, smiling warmly. Princess Zelda, maybe. Yeah. She could see that. She didn't know the princess at all, but there was something that was just so classically romantic about it. Yeah. She would go on this dangerous heroic mission with Link to help him save his one true love, and on the way she would meet this fabulously gorgeous man with black hair and green eyes who would fall madly in love with her and promise to wait faithfully for her to return. He would be tall, but not too tall, thin, but not too thin. His skin would be fair, his face clean shaven.

She decided that his name would have to be Dimitri. He would initially be jealous, but he would accept Malon's assurances that Link was only a childhood friend. And the day she had to leave him he would take her in his arms and...

Malon would have been content to disappear into her black-haired, green-eyed fantasy man forever, but a sleepy groan from Link brought her back to reality.

Link slowly opened his eyes, squinting in the light. Malon was propped up on her elbows, smiling at him.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," he mumbled, stretching. Link groaned again, this time from pain. His back was sore and bruised from the fall he had taken the previous day.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "You?"

Malon shrugged. "It hurts."

"How much?"

"A lot."

"I'm sorry."

Link yawned and sat up. Malon's stomach lurched guiltily at the sight of the blotchy red and purple bruises all across Link's back.

"I meant to leave you the blanket," Malon said. "I guess I fell asleep."

"It's all right," Link said. "It was warm out."

Malon carefully swung her feet around to the side of the bed. "Could you hand me the fresh bandages?"

Link nodded. He pulled himself up to his knees and crawled, still sleepy, to the table.

"You're not much of a morning person, are you?" Malon smiled. Link shook his head, squinting.

Link heard Malon make a pained sound in her throat as she peeled off the old bandage.

"Here," he said as he crawled back to the bed, "do you want me to do it?"

"Would you?" she pleaded. Link nodded. "Thank you."

Malon grimaced and looked away as Link spread the salve across her foot. "That looks disgusting."

"It looks better, though," Link said.

"It does look better," Malon admitted.

"Not as gross as it was yesterday," Navi said, fluttering out of Link's hat. The scraps of loose skin were gone and the oozing had stopped, leaving the foot a raw, blotchy pink.

It wasn't until Link was halfway through wrapping the bandage that he realized that he could look Malon in the eye again. When he turned his head up to look at her, his eyes went directly to her face and did not linger elsewhere.

A wave of relief rushed through him. The shell-shock of the previous day was gone. When he looked at Malon he no longer saw a golden goddess, but just a friend who happened to be a pretty girl with a nice smile. It wasn't for several moments that Link realized she was talking to him.

"So you'd better get going as soon as possible," she concluded.

"Where?"

"Dampé's grave, you idiot. Where else?"

"By myself?"

"I'll be with you," Navi chimed cheerily. Link wondered if all fairies were this perky all the time.

"And you can't really expect me to go with you," Malon said.

Link's face fell into a look of pure dread as he realized that he would have to go back to the graveyard again.

"Oh, please," Malon scoffed. "It'll be daytime when you go, don't be a sissy."

"But what about you?" Link protested.

Malon shook her head dismissively. "This is too important. Link, you've got to go without me."

Link said nothing.

"Oh, for gods' sakes, I'll jam the fucking door if you want, just stop moping and go back to the graveyard!" Malon shouted. Link shrank away, and meekly began to get dressed. Malon watched him coyly as he dropped the chain mail shirt over his head. _Princess Zelda will love him_, she grinned to herself. But the smile faded when she realized that she was now alone in that quiet room.

Alone.

A tiny creeping of fear inched up her spine again.

* * *

Link closed the door behind him but didn't move. Instead he leaned against the doorframe and let his spine sag. He didn't want to leave his crippled friend by herself.

Alone.

He sighed, but then an idea crossed his mind.

The bar was still smoky from the night before, but it was mostly empty now. Link's heart sank, but there - in the corner - the man he was looking for.

"Hey, there, buddy."

"Hi."

"Have a seat."

Link nervously sat down. "Listen," said the man, "no hard feelings about last night, all right?"

"Right."

There was a pause.

"Um," Link said, trying to put some muscle behind his voice. "I need to ask you a favor."

* * *

Malon sat nervously on the edge of the bed, her stomach tying itself in knots. Every tiny sound made her jump, every creak of the floor seemed like a threat in this room. She had already spent some time maneuvering a chair up against the door, but she was still nervous now that she was alone. Her sword was drawn and it lay beside her on the bed. If someone did manage to get in, she might be able to keep him at bay for a little while, at least. Maybe just long enough for somebody to come to her rescue. In this way, the blade provided some comfort, if no companionship.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hall. Every hair on her body stood up on end. She stiffened as she heard the doorknob rattle. Her fingers dug into the mattress.

But then there came a second pair of footsteps - much heavier this time. Malon heard men's voices. She strained her ears, but she could not make out their words. She heard one of them shout something indistinct, and then there was a loud thud like something heavy and shapeless striking the ground.

Then it was quiet.

Malon jumped as three heavy knocks rattled the door.

"Excuse me, miss?" A man's deep voice said. "Are you there?"

Malon froze.

"Miss?"

There was another powerful knock.

A pause.

Then, suddenly, the door burst open. The chair she had worked so hard to push against it went barreling across the room. And in the doorway stood a huge man, larger than the doorframe itself.

"Oh, good," he said gruffly. "I did have the right room."

Malon tried to grab her sword, but she found herself unable to move. This was it. This man was going to rape her and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop him.

"Miss?" The man said. "Are you all right?"

Malon tried to speak, but couldn't find her voice.

"I found this idiot outside your room," the man said. He lifted his arm and Malon saw that he had another, smaller man by the collar. It was the co-proprietor. His glasses were askew and a trickle of blood dripped from his nose.

"He was trying to get in," the large man continued. "Thought he looked a little suspicious. He ain't a friend of yours, is he?"

Malon gulped and shook her head.

"Didn't think so," he said. He tossed the co-proprietor aside as if he were a rag doll. "Take him away, boys," he said. Malon heard the clanking of plate armor on the stairs.

The man at the door sighed. "You mind if I come in?" he asked wearily. He didn't wait for her to answer. He ducked into the room and closed the door behind him. As he went to retrieve the upset chair, Malon couldn't help but notice that he could crush her to a fine powder as easily as he could crush a dried berry. But, at the same time, she felt strangely safe. She slowly let her fingers crawl to the hilt of her sword, but she could feel in her heart that this man would not hurt her.

"What happened to your foot?" he asked, leaning forward and resting his massive forearms on his knees.

"It got burned," she said quietly.

"How?"

Malon said nothing. The man raised a bushy black eyebrow. "Okay," he said. "It ain't really my business, I guess." He sat up suddenly. "_He_ didn't do that to you, did he?"

"Who?"

"The blonde guy. Your buddy."

"What?"

"I knew the jackass was too nice for his own good. Has he been hurting you?"

Malon almost laughed. "Of course not."

"Oh." He hunched back over. "I met him, you know. Last night. We were all having a bit of a go at him." He chuckled. "He's a strange one, he is."

Malon smiled.

"He's not exactly what you'd call a man of the world, is he?"

"I guess not," Malon conceded. "But he's been through a lot."

"Oh," the man laughed, sitting up again. "My girl Jezebel was really having her fun with him. She was whispering something in his ear and we all just watched his face get redder and redder..." He broke off, laughing. "Sweet goddess, you should have seen him."

Malon giggled.

"Ah," he said, suddenly, standing up. "I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself, did I?"

"It's all right," Malon said.

He extended a massive hand. "My name's Leonardo," he said.

"I'm Malon."

"Very nice to meet you," he said, kissing her hand. Malon blushed and looked down. She had never been kissed - anywhere - by a man before.

"I'm a mercenary," Leonardo said. "I've been chasing down criminals who escaped during the Castle Town massacres. Looks like that stalker of yours happened to be one of them." He sat down again. "So, does that hurt a lot?"

"Hm? Oh," she looked down at her bandaged foot. "I guess so."

"Can you walk at all?"

"Not really."

"That's too bad."

Malon shrugged.

"What's-his-name taking good care of you?"

"Who, Link? Yeah, I guess so."

"But he left you here alone."

"I told him to."

"Why?"

"He had something important to do."

"Ah."

"I can take care of myself just fine, anyhow."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I grew up on a farm."

"You?" Leonardo seemed surprised.

"Yes." _Well, actually, I grew up in a coma, but you don't need to know that, _she thought to herself.

"What farm?"

She opened her mouth and was about to say, "Lon Lon Ranch," but changed her mind. Instead she said, "No place you would have heard of." She had just remembered that this man's job was tracking down wanted criminals. For the past seven years, everybody had thought that Link was a kidnapper. If Leonardo realized who she was, both she and Link could be in danger.

"Well," Leonardo said, "it's obvious you don't wanna talk about it, so don't worry too much."

_Thank gods,_ Malon thought.

"But really," he laughed, "you can't honestly expect me to believe you ever lived on a farm."

"Why not?" Malon said, a little obstinately.

"Why _not_?" he chortled. "You kidding? Pretty lady like you, on a farm?"

"Oh." Malon blushed, not sure if she should feel flattered or insulted.

"But you do hear stories about girls like you," he said, shrugging.

Malon sat up. "What do you mean, 'girls like me?'"

"Oh." Leonardo seemed a little uncomfortable. "You know. Girls who have swords and wear pants and stuff."

"Well, I'm traveling," Malon said in her defense. "I'm not..."

"Oh, I understand," he said. "I just - I mean to say - I just sort of - you know - wondered... What with the pants, and then your friend said that you two weren't even-"

He caught himself just in time.

"We weren't even what?"

Leonardo took a deep breath and opted to change the subject.

* * *

And that's it for Chapter 7! The next chapter will come sooner, we promise!

Kaori: Stay tuned for Chapter... oh, dear.

What?

Kaori: Apparently we have to pay a fine for abusing the word "Oh" in this last chapter.

Oh.

Kaori: That's another thirty-eight cents, Ichi.


	8. Kiss Him Goodbye

Weeeeee're back!

Kaori: Sorry for the wait again. It took us a while to pay off that $4.94 fine from the last chapter. But did you know that Heaven In A Wildflower has just celebrated its first birthday?

It's pretty exciting.

Kaori: We began writing this story exactly one year ago today. You didn't know that, but it's true.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEAVEN IN A WILDFLOWER!

* * *

Link returned in the early afternoon to find Malon and Leonardo, the man from the bar, sitting comfortably and talking as if they had known one another for years.

"So then he says," Leonardo said as Link appeared at the door, "What do you think I use the bottle for?"

Malon burst out laughing, her voice like a thousand bells.

"I tell you," Leonardo said, chuckling, "When I heard that I about nearly –"

"Link," Malon said, smiling at him.

Leonardo looked over his shoulder. "Oh, hello." He reached up and shook Link's hand. Link smiled weakly. He was too tired to be cordial.

Malon scooted over to make more room for Link on the bed. He sat down beside her, wincing at the pain in his back.

"Link," Leonardo said gravely, "if you do not make passionate love to this woman right now, then I will."

Malon blushed and covered her face with her hands, giggling. Link looked rather alarmed. Leonardo laughed.

"Only kidding," he said, "only kidding. I have a girl of my own already." He nodded to Link. "Jezebel. She's the one who kept picking on you last night. The two of us are engaged."

"You're _engaged_?" Link said, accidentally.

"I know, it seems hard to believe," Leonardo conceded. "And I know she's anything but perfect, but she only does what she has to do to make ends meet. And I love her anyway." He smiled. "But this one here," he shook a finger at Malon, grinning, "she is one remarkable lady."

"Yeah, I know," Link said, looking away.

Malon smiled bashfully.

"And I hope you don't mind if I say this, Malon, but you have a very lovely smile. Doesn't she have the most beautiful smile?"

Malon laughed, shaking her head.

"Well, I should go," Leonardo said broadly. He reached over to shake Link's hand again, then leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

"Take care of her, you lucky son-of-a-bitch," he said. He stood, bowed his head to Malon, and was gone.

Malon was silent for a moment as she watched him go, then she leaned back and sighed. "What a nice guy."

Link took his sword and shield off of his back and cast them aside, then flopped back across the bed, grimacing from the pain.

Malon stretched out beside him, concerned. "You okay? What happened?"

Link said nothing. His face was pale and his big blue eyes were vacant.

"What's the matter?" Malon said, trying to laugh off the uncomfortable silence. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I did," he said in a hushed voice, staring up at the ceiling. "I saw the ghost of Dampé the gravekeeper."

"Oh," Malon said softly. "Wow. What happened?"

"I found the grave," he said. "There was this cavern underneath, and I went in and… I saw him."

"You knew him, didn't you?" Malon whispered.

Link nodded. "And it was so strange, because it feels like I'd just seen him, alive, just the other day…" He cleared his throat. He still wasn't used to the sound of his new voice. "You know, when you found me by the bridge, I had just been to see him that day… and it feels like it was only yesterday, but it's been seven whole years… and now he's dead."

"What happened?" Malon asked again.

"He wanted me to race him," Link said.

"And?"

"I did, and I followed him through this long tunnel…"

Navi popped out of his hat. "It was more like a maze, actually," she interjected. Navi took over the storytelling at this point, telling Malon all that had gone on in Dampé's grave. When she had finished, Malon had to take a moment to process all she had heard.

"Oh, Link," she said softly. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you."

"I'm not some little baby," Link muttered.

"No, you're not," Malon sighed. "You're pretty brave, actually." She brushed a strand of red hair out of her face. "You're the bravest person I've ever met."

Link blushed a little but didn't say anything. Suddenly feeling awkward, Malon sat up.

"It's time for me to rewrap my bandage," she said.

"Do you want me to do it?" Link asked, sitting up.

"No, I've got it this time," she said. She hopped up on her good leg and moved to a chair by the table. She cringed as she unwrapped the bandage.

"Wow," Navi said, fluttering over. "That stuff works really well, doesn't it?"

Malon nodded. "It hardly even hurts anymore." Link lay back and closed his eyes.

"It's too bad healing potions don't help with things like this," Navi said. "It would save so much time."

"Why don't potions help?" Malon asked.

"I don't know," Navi said. "But they're only useful if you have a really serious injury, like something life-threatening."

Malon shrugged. "I guess even magic isn't perfect," she said. "Not in real life, anyway."

* * *

The doctor returned later that day to check in on Malon.

"It's healing much faster than I expected," he said, appraising the injury. "It looks like there was only really damage to the skin." He stood. "Give it another day and see how it feels."

"Well, that's good," Malon said once the doctor had gone. "We'll be able to get out of here soon."

Link nodded. Navi made a twinkling noise. There was a momentary silence, then Link rose, muttered something about paying for the day, and left.

Malon sighed. "How much longer is he going to be moping?"

Navi made a motion that looked as if it might have been equivalent to a shrug. "He's not moping, he's just… Well, I guess he is moping a little bit, but he's always quiet, especially with girls around."

Malon groaned. "That's going to get on my nerves really fast," she said.

"Oh, he'll open up eventually," Navi said. "It's just the way he lives that makes him so laconic. Now that you're here I'm sure he'll start to talk."

"I hope you're right," Malon said. "It's already starting to drive me crazy."

"What's driving you crazy?" Link asked. He had just returned.

"Nothing," Malon said.

"Oh," Link said, crossing to the bed and sitting down heavily. "I'm tired."

"Go to sleep, then," Malon said. "You can have the bed tonight."

"No, it's okay," he said. "You're hurt."

"So are you," she argued.

They carried on in this fashion for several minutes before Link finally agreed to let her sleep on the floor, though he insisted on giving her all the blankets and both pillows.

As she lay, trying to sleep, Malon sighed discontentedly. Link rolled over to look down at her.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing," Malon said, shaking her head. "It's just that something's bothering me."

Link tilted his head. His earrings flashed in the moonlight. "What?"

"I'm just worried about Epona, that's all," she said.

"Oh."

Link rolled back over and was silent for a moment. "You know," he said slowly, "if you want, I could go to the ranch tomorrow, to see if she's okay."

Malon sat up. "Would you? Really?"

"Nothing else to do."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Link muttered sleepily. Malon lay back down and sighed.

"You're a good friend, Link," Malon said.

Malon didn't know it, but when she said that, his heart swelled up a thousand times.

* * *

The air on Hyrule field was brisk and smelled of fresh grass and early-morning dew. Link jogged along at an easy pace while Navi slept inside his hat. The ranch wasn't much farther away.

Lon Lon Ranch looked much as it had seven years before, to Link's relief. The only difference was the strange haze that seemed to linger around the gate, but that was so faint and elusive that Link thought it might have been his imagination.

As Link walked through the ranch, however, he began to notice a drastic change in the atmosphere. Where once it had been warm and welcoming, it was now tense and hostile. The buildings seemed almost as if they leaned in, their roofs slowly bending and blocking out the sky. And there – around the corner – there he was:

Ingo.

The older man floundered for a moment, as if he could see the accusations behind Link's eyes. But he recovered in an instant, and spoke.

"There are some people in Kakariko spreading rumors that I cheated Talon out of the ranch, but…"

Link continued to glare.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ingo half-shouted. "That guy Talon was weak! I, the hard-working Ingo, poured so much energy into this place!" He affected a stern expression. "I don't want any strangers like you saying anything bad about me!"

Link said nothing. Ingo shifted uncomfortably, then adopted his fighting stance once more.

"Listen, the Great Ganondorf recognized my obvious talents and gave the ranch to me! I will raise a fine horse and win recognition from the great Ganondorf!"

Link gulped. So Ingo was now a servant of the enemy.

"Say, young man," Ingo said, suddenly the charming businessman, "do you want to ride one of my fine horses?"

Link looked over into the pen. He couldn't see Epona anywhere. But no, there she was – a large reddish mare with white feet.

"How much?" Link asked.

"Pay me ten rupees and you can ride," Ingo said.

"All right."

"Thank you so much. Heh heh!" Ingo pocketed Link's money and opened the gate.

Link went straight over to Epona, but the ever-skittish horse ran away from him. He stood for a second, at a loss. But then an idea came to him. Perhaps she would still be calmed by the sound of Epona's Song? Link pulled out his ocarina and began to play.

Epona whinnied. Link took a few steps in her direction. When she did not run, he went over to her and lay a hand on her neck.

"Hey, girl," he said, soothingly. He put his foot in the stirrup and swung himself up onto her back.

"Hey, young man!" Ingo called as Link trotted up to him. "Do I know you?"

Link shook his head. "I don't think so," he said nervously.

"Huh." Ingo shrugged. "I just felt as though I've seen you somewhere before…"

"No," Link said, "Sorry." He looked down at the horse's neck. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. Wouldn't Malon be happy if he could get Epona for her? Link rode around the corral, trying to think.

"You're getting better!" Ingo said, approvingly, when Link returned again. "How about a little race with me? One lap around the corral with that horse. Let's make a little wager, say, 50 Rupees?"

Link thought a moment. He could use an extra 50 Rupees. And he was sure Epona was up to the challenge. "Okay," he said.

Link couldn't remember trotting Epona out of the corral or lining up to race. He just saw Ingo take off and he and Epona leaped after him. His blood pulsed as they slowly overtook the other horse and left Ingo in the dust. The wind whistled by his head and through his hair and stung at his face, he egged Epona on, he couldn't remember ever feeling so alive…

And then he was back with his feet on the ground.

"Damn it!" Ingo shouted, clutching his head. "If the great Ganondorf found out about this humiliation…" he snapped back up. "Hey, you! How about another race! If you win… You can keep… the horse!"

Link grinned. This was perfect. "What do you say, girl?" he whispered as he climbed back up onto Epona's back. "Up for one more?"

Epona pawed the ground anxiously.

* * *

"What's up with that horse!" Ingo roared. "Is that Epona? How did you tame that wide horse right under my nose!"

Link grinned to himself.

"I was going to present that horse to the great Ganondorf… But I bet it on the race an lost! Damn it!"

But suddenly, Ingo was calm. A malicious grin spread across his face. He laughed.

"As I promised, I'll give the horse to you…" he said, his voice dripping with wickedness. "However… I'll never let you leave this ranch!"

Ingo closed the gates and locked them tight.

"Is that all?" Navi said, fluttering out. "I thought he meant he was going to kill you, the way he carried on."

Link sighed. "Now what?" Epona snorted. Link patted her shoulder.

"You could always try to jump the fence," Navi suggested, "except that if you didn't make it you'd probably kill yourself."

Link looked at the fence. Come to think of it…

"What do you say, girl?" he said to Epona. "Think you can make it?"

Epona snorted and pawed at the ground. Link turned her around. "Well, here we go." He set off at a gallop. Epona seemed to know, seemed to understand – and in a flash they were soaring through the air, up over the fence… and landed on the other side. Epona trotted to a halt and whinnied triumphantly. Link patted her shoulder again.

"We did it, girl," he whispered. "It's okay now."

* * *

"Listen, Navi," Link said as he climbed the stairs, "I want to keep this a secret."

"Why?"

"I want to surprise Malon," he said.

"OoooOOOOooh," Navi giggled. "You like her, don't you?"

"No, I don't."

"You do."

"I don't!" They were right outside the door.

Navi twinkled.

"Well, maybe just a little bit," Link admitted in a hushed voice, "but that doesn't –"

"I knew it!" Navi cackled.

"Shh…" Link pleaded.

"And you think she's pretty, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

Navi's riotous laughter cut him off. But then he heard laughter again from inside the room. There was Malon's, that clear laugh that sounded like temple bells after a wedding, but there was also someone else's – a man's.

Link opened the door to see Malon standing, with her arm around Leonardo's shoulder and his massive hand at her waist.

"Hi," Malon said, smiling. She giggled. "Stop it, that tickles." Leonardo laughed and helped her into a chair.

"I think that's enough for now," he said, chuckling. "I'd better go." He kissed Malon's hand and left.

Malon sighed and leaned back in her chair, glowing. Link stared.

"What?"

"What were you _doing?_"

"Leonardo was helping me walk, that's all." She sighed again. "I think I like being a grown-up."

"Oh." Link dropped his sword and shield. "Why do you like that guy so much?"

Malon shrugged, her eyes shining. "What's not to like?" she said. "I mean, he's handsome, he's charming, and funny – goddess, he's funny. And he makes me feel…" She broke off.

"What?"

She shook her head. "I don't know." She raised her eyebrows. "Why, are you jealous?"

Link started. "N-no."

"Bullshit. You're jealous." Malon tossed her hair, rather as a horse would toss its mane. "But did you go to the ranch?"

Link nodded.

"And was Epona there? Were all the horses all right?"

"They're fine." Link said, marveling at how Malon was suddenly hanging on his every word. He decided not to tell her that Ingo was planning on giving the horses to Ganondorf. "Ingo seems to be treating them all right."

Malon deflated with relief. "Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that," she sighed. Link couldn't help noticing her silk undershirt fall down a little when she leaned forward. He gawked, feeling himself blush.

It took Malon a minute to realize what Link was staring at. She rolled her eyes and yanked on the neckline of her shirt. Right. She kept forgetting she had those now.

"A-are you hungry?" Link asked, shaking his gaze.

"Not really," Malon muttered. "But if you're hungry, go ahead and eat."

Link thought for a moment, then stood and left without saying anything. Malon sighed and shook her head as she heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs.

* * *

Link sighed into his stew. He wasn't jealous. Not a bit. He cast a sidelong glance down the bar at Leonardo, who was drowning himself in a tankard of some foul rotgot. He was surprised to see Leonardo's eyes were red, and not from drink.

"What the fuck are you staring at, dickface?" he slurred. A single tear welled up in his eye and threatened to fall. He shook his head. "I'm sorry." He sighed and took a drink.

Link went back to his food. It was too spicy, but he continued to eat.

"You guys leaving soon?" Leonardo said.

"Tomorrow," Link answered without looking up.

"Good," the older man said. "Get Malon out of here as soon as possible."

Link started. "Why?"

"Because I think I'm falling in love with her," Leonardo said.

Link's stomach dropped sickeningly. "What do you mean?"

"You heard me," Leonardo said, letting that tear slide down his face and catch in his beard. He shook his head and let himself chuckle half-heartedly. "You could walk to the end of the earth and never find one like her."

Link's stomach was twisting itself into knots. Leonardo finished his drink, dropped a few Rupees onto the bar, and stood to go. He had almost reached the door when he stopped and turned to Link, a helpless look on his face.

"Hey, will you tell her –" he said, floundering for words. "Tell her goodbye for me."

Link nodded. Leonardo smiled his thanks, and then he was gone.

* * *

And there's Chapter 8! We hope you liked it.

Kaori: Come back for Chapter 9!

Read and review! Thank you!


	9. Drops of Shame

Holy Jesus Fuck.

After HOW long? We're updating Heaven in a Wildflower.

We don't own Legend of Zelda, etc, etc, enjoy.

* * *

Malon stepped out into the sun. She had a slight limp still, but her injury was now only causing her the slightest pain. Link followed through the door, yawning. Malon knew he wasn't a morning person and wondered why he had insisted on leaving so early.

"Ready to go?" she asked, blinking in the morning light. Link nodded, yawning again. Malon yawned in sympathy, though she was quite accustomed to waking up early, even before dawn.

"How long does it take to reach the forest from here?" she asked as they descended the ancient carved stairs that would lead them back to Hyrule field.

"Oh, er..." Link started. He'd been going over his plan to surprise Malon with Epona in his head. "A-about a day on foot."

Malon squinted into the horizon. She could just barely make out the trees in the distance, veiled by the morning mist. "We'd better get going, then," she said. She sighed. "I just wish I'd gotten to say goodbye to Leonardo," she said, looking back up the stairs at the town, though the cliff face blocked it from view at this point. She had enjoyed his company and, moreover, the male attention.

Link's guilty conscience weighed down on him. He hadn't really intended to tell her about his encounter with the older man the previous night, but now he felt he couldn't keep it a secret any longer. He wasn't good at keeping secrets. "I saw him at the bar last night," he said hesitantly. "He said to tell you goodbye from him." He took a deep breath. "And he said that he was... that he, that he lo-" he stopped. "He said that he likes you a lot."

"What a nice guy," Malon said, smiling. Link's heart sank a little. "But maybe it's best that I'm leaving anyway."

"O-oh?" Link said, hopefully.

"Yes, he was a little too old for me anyway," she said nonchalantly. "Besides, isn't he getting married?"

Link was relieved. Perhaps, he finally admitted to himself, he did have a little crush on her.

"So... are we going?" Malon said, glancing around. They had been standing on the edge of the field for several minutes.

"Oh, yeah..." Link said, looking around. "Er, I wanted to, that is, I have a..." he floundered. He was no good at surprises. Malon raised a copper eyebrow.

Navi came to his rescue. "He wants to show you something," she chimed, flitting out from under his hat.

"Yes," Link said, "that." He blushed. For the love of Din, he couldn't even form a sentence properly.

Malon laughed, shrugging off his embarrassment. "It's okay," she said, "though you might want to abandon that dream of being a motivational speaker."

Link scratched his head sheepishly.

"What was it you wanted to show me?" Malon asked.

"Oh," Link said, jumping. He pulled out his ocarina and played a quick scale to warm up. Malon watched him, wondering what he was up to.

He played Epona's Song.

"That was lovely, Link," she said when he'd finished, "but couldn't that have waited until..." she trailed off, looking out across the field. She'd heard a familiar whinny.

"No way," Malon whispered. But there she was, galloping over the hill, a proud reddish mare with a flowing white mane. Before she knew it, Malon was running out across the field towards Epona, forgetting the pain altogether.

Link watched nervously, though he wasn't sure what he was nervous about. Epona trotted right up to Malon, sniffing at her inquisitively. Then she put her head over Malon's shoulder, nuzzling gently. Malon was still a moment, then put her arms around the horse's neck. "Did you miss me, girl?" she whispered.

"You can relax now," Navi said in Link's ear. "I think she's happy." She gave him a little nudge, which for her meant flying directly into his shoulder three or four times.

Malon turned around when she heard Link approaching. "Oh, I could _kiss_ you, fairy boy!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around him. "Thank you, thank you!"

He patted her awkwardly on the back, wondering if she really was going to kiss him. Half of him was wishing for it, the other half was terrified. She pulled away, holding him out at arm's length, and Link could see that there were tears in her eyes. She hugged him again, and he tried to imagine what it would feel like if there weren't so many layers of armor and clothing between them. Then he tried desperately to stop imagining it before he embarrassed himself. _Just friends_, he reminded himself.

"Come on," she said, pulling away from him and swinging herself up into the saddle. She scooted forward to make room for him. "She can carry us both as long as we don't push her too hard," she said, seeing his concerned expression, though she'd misunderstood what was concerning him. She held out her hand to help him up. He gulped and took it, climbing up behind her.

"Hold onto me," she said, looking back at him. He dutifully obeyed, being very careful not to grab anything she wouldn't want grabbed. And then they were off, galloping towards the Kokiri forest.

Link was not wholly comfortable. The saddle was large but not designed for two adults to ride in it at once. If he tried to inch away from her, to put any kind of appropriate distance between them, he was in danger of falling off. So there she was, pressed right up between his legs, and he prayed to the golden goddesses that she couldn't feel what she was doing to him.

He tried to think of something else.

But she was so close...

He thought about building a birdhouse.

And he could smell her hair...

"You've gotten so big," she said suddenly. Link jolted, then realized she was talking to the horse.

_Just friends, _he reminded himself. _Just friends.

* * *

_

With Epona's help they reached the edge of the forest before the afternoon. Link groaned as he dropped to the ground. He was sore in places he didn't know existed. Malon swung her head around, her neck popping a few times.

Link stared off into the darkness of the forest. "Sorry, girl," he heard Malon say, "but you can't come any farther."

"What are you thinking about, Link?" Navi whispered from inside his hat.

"I'm wondering how much things have changed," Link whispered back.

"Ah, yes..." the fairy gave a melancholy twinkle. "I was thinking the same thing."

"What's wrong?" Malon asked.

"Oh, nothing," Link said.

They walked into the gloom of the massive hollow tree, somewhat afraid to see what lay ahead. But as Link discovered, the thing that had changed the most was him.

* * *

"Link? Are you okay?"

Link wasn't okay, but he wasn't going to say so, either. So he said nothing. He silently climbed the ladder to his tree house, afraid to see what mess might be left there or what new resident may have moved in. But, to his relief, it was much the same as he had left it. It seemed as though someone had been keeping it clean for him over the years.

Saria?

But she was gone now, vanished, gone off to the temple never to return. He wanted to charge right into the Forest Temple right now and rescue her, but he was too sore and tired.

Malon followed him in awkwardly. She wasn't sure what to do. He was clearly upset, but she didn't know what she could do to help him. "I- is there anything I could do?" she asked, taking a step towards him.

Link sat down heavily on his bed and put his head in his hands. His home overrun by monsters, no sign of Saria, friends who didn't even recognize him – all of them, still children, while he had grown up. _I never belonged here,_ he thought to himself, _everything is my fault._ More than one of his old friends had insinuated such, not realizing that the culprit they were accusing was the man standing in front of them. Moth had said herself that they'd all blamed Link for the death of the great Deku Tree – all except Saria, who was gone. All his worst memories were floating through his head at once.

"Link?"

He looked up ever so slightly.

"I'm going to go down to the waterfall to take a bath. Do you want to come, too?"

Link's eyes snapped open and his face turned its customary red.

"Trust me," Navi said. "You need to wash your hair."

"I- I'll go later, after dark," he said, looking away.

"Okay," Malon said slowly, still feeling uncomfortable. "I'll just go, then." She backed out of the door.

"I'll go too," Navi sang, zipping out after her.

"I'm sorry he's acting like this," the fairy whispered once Malon was down the ladder.

"It's okay," Malon said, heading for the rushes at the base of the waterfall. "I mean, I'd probably be upset too."

"He's more than upset," Navi said, "he's having an identity crisis. Be careful, there might be another Deku Baba in the reeds."

Malon proceeded cautiously, but nothing jumped out at her. She and Link had already combed the entire village, killing every monster they could find. But she'd brought her sword along, just in case there was another Octorok lurking somewhere.

"So, you think he's realizing he's not a Kokiri?" Malon asked. She stepped into the rushes for shelter while she undressed. She pulled off her boots first and peeled off the bandage on her foot. It was looking better, almost healed, just a slight sting and the itch of healing.

"I'm sure he's figured it out by now," Navi said sadly. "You saw the look he got on his face everytime someone called him 'Mister.'"

Malon nodded, pulling her leggings down. She'd shed her other clothes and armor and they lay discarded on the ground. She waded into the water so that she'd be better hidden by the rushes as she unwrapped her breasts.

"I'll be right back, Navi said, zooming back to Link's house at top speed.

"Liiink," she called, flying in through the window and flitting back and forth over his head. "If you come down now you'll get to see Malon naaaked!"

Link shook his head vigorously.

"Oh, come on," she said. "I bet it would cheer you up."

"Kokiri aren't supposed to like girls that way," he said. "And they're not supposed to leave the forest or grow up."

"Just because you're different doesn't mean there's something wrong with you," Navi said. "You're special, Link. You're the Hero of Time!"

"So I hear." He wouldn't look at her.

"He won't come down," Navi said as she fluttered back to Malon in a manner suggesting disappointment. "Even when I said he could see you naked he wouldn't come down."

"Navi!" Malon gasped, splashing down into the water so that only her head was showing. When she'd asked him if he wanted to come bathe with her, she hadn't thought about it like _that_. It was harder being a grown-up than she'd thought. There were so many things that you could do, but a whole new list of things you weren't supposed to do.

"Besides," Navi said, coming down to Malon's eye level. "He won't ever bathe until after dark, never ever."

"Why?" Malon asked. It was nearing sunset and the water was already chilly, she couldn't imagine how cold it would get after dark.

"He's so afraid someone will see him," Navi explained. "Link's never told me this himself, I heard this story second-hand, from other fairies..." Malon leaned in to hear better, her red hair floating like ribbons in the water.

"But first, let me explain something to you. You remember I told you the Kokiri come from flowers?"

Malon nodded, getting water in her mouth.

"Well, every few years the great Deku Tree would put out a bud. And inside that bud, there would be a baby Kokiri. And this Kokiri would grow and grow inside the bud until it finally bloomed. Every time the child moved inside, little drops of dew would slide down the petals and collect inside the bud. When the flower opened, the sun would wake up the child and turn the dewdrops into a fairy." Navi paused to see if Malon was keeping up. "But the Kokiri are inherently sexless. They don't have girl parts or boy parts, they're just Kokiri."

"But I saw boys and girls," Malon said, confused. "Just today."

"Yes, but there's no real physical difference between the two. They just are whichever they feel like they are. Sometimes they're both, or neither."

Malon nodded, furrowing her brow. "So... what happened to Link?"

Navi twinkled to the left, then to the right, to make sure nobody was within earshot. But the Kokiri were still all hiding in their homes. "He was going swimming with two of his friends, Twig and Leaf," the fairy said in a hushed voice. "And they all started taking off their clothes to get in the water."

Malon shivered a bit. The pool below the waterfall had slipped into shadow and the water felt much colder.

"The Kokiri don't have nipples on their chests," Navi continued, "and there's nothing between their legs, either. But Link... He's a normal Hylian boy. He has a penis." Navi took a breath. "The other boys basically looked at him and said, 'What's wrong with you?'"

Up in his house, Link was thinking about the exact same incident.

"_What's that?" said Twig._

"_Does it hurt?" said Leaf._

"_Are you sick?Leave us alone! We don't want to catch it!"_

And Link had run back to his house in tears, trying to cover himself with his hands. He must be a freak, he decided, he had some sort of disgusting parasite. Eventually he'd convinced himself that he had some horrible disease and that it must have killed his fairy, too, when he was too young to remember.

"Link must have been about five or six," Navi finished.

Malon didn't know what to say. She sank into the water and blew bubbles from her nose.

"You know what it looks like, right?" Navi asked.

Malon nodded, she'd seen her young cousins naked, though never a grown man. She took a deep breath and ducked underwater to get the rest of her hair wet. She came up with a gasp and wiped the water out of her face. "Navi," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Are all fairies born with a Kokiri?"

"No," Navi said, shimmering. "An ordinary red fairy can come out of any old flower."

"But a fairy like you," Malon said.

"Oh." Navi understood what she was getting at. "Yes, always."

"So then..."

"If Link's not a Kokiri and I'm his fairy, who was I born with?" Navi finished.

Malon nodded.

Navi sighed. "I was born with a little girl, a long time ago. Her name was Hana."

"What happened to her?"

"She died," Navi said quietly. "She shriveled up and died."

Malon waited, hoping she would continue.

"The other children were mean to her, so she decided to leave the forest. I pleaded with her not to. But she left, and so I did too. I watched her get weaker and weaker and she started to wither and wither until finally she dried up and she was gone."

Navi sounded a little choked up. Malon didn't know that fairies could cry. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's all right," Navi said. "Like I said, it was a long time ago."

Malon ducked her head under the water again, pulling her knees up to her chest. _How horrible it would be,_ she thought, _to be a child forever.

* * *

_

At long last, that was Chapter 9. From now on we'll endeavor to finish what we start.

Please review! Thank you!


	10. Uncertain Memory

And this time, we make a prompt return!

Kaori: We don't own the Legend of Zelda, and if you think we're claiming that we do, you're an idiot.

* * *

Link's skin pulled tight as he sank into the cold water. He took a deep breath and submerged himself, the chill sucking at his body. He held his breath as long as he could. The waterfall was small, but still it roared behind him like the footsteps of a hundred horses.

The water was frigid at this hour, numbing. But Link was used to it. He squeezed his eyes shut, then, when he felt he couldn't hold out any longer, he tossed his head back out of the water, gasping.

"You'll drown yourself one of these days, doing that," Navi scolded, circling around his head.

Link's initial thought was "You're not the boss of me," but instead he said, "Don't worry about me so much."

"I'm your fairy," Navi said, bobbing in front of his face. "It's my job to worry about you."

Link plunged back underwater.

"Link!" Navi insisted. "Link!" She dodged a splash as he emerged again. "Are you feeling any better now?"

He took a deep breath and submerged himself a third time, ignoring her.

Navi sighed. "That boy," she said.

Up in the treehouse, Malon was combing the tangles out of her hair with her fingers. Her hair was damp and cold and she shivered a bit, though the forest evening was warm. She hadn't managed to find a comb at the Kokiri shop, though she had bought some sweet-smelling soap made from plant oils and ash.

When she glanced out the front door she could see Link bathing under the waterfall, Navi fluttering around him. He was too far away and it was too dark for her to see clearly, but she couldn't stop herself from peeking at him. His wet skin seemed to be coated with silvery, liquid moonlight. He was washing his back with one hand. Malon imagined how she would be able to see his individual muscles glistening if she were closer. As she watched him, he disappeared under the surface of the water, and then came back up near the bank. She knew she should look away, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. She caught one glimpse of the back of him, gloriously naked, before he disappeared into the privacy of the tall rushes.

Malon jerked herself away from the door. There was a warm, tingling sensation running down from her chest, down and down.

She distracted herself by pacing around the room, blowing out most of the candles. Link's old bed was child-sized, far too short for either of them, so they had rolled out blankets on the floor. When Link finally returned with an armful of sun fruit and princess peaches, Malon was applying the last of the burn salve to her foot.

"How does it feel?" he asked, dropping the fruit unceremoniously into a wooden bowl.

"Fine," she said in a small voice, wrapping it up carefully. It was almost completely healed now, but it had left a darkish, blotchy mark on her skin, a shadow of a scar.

"That's good," he said. He sat down beside her and handed her a peach.

"Thanks," she said, turning the soft pinkish fruit over in her hands. It was enormous, almost the size of the grapefruits they once sold in the market, imported from lands across the desert. "I've never seen peaches grow this big," she remarked.

"People aren't patient enough," he said. "They pick them before they're completely ripe."

She took a bite. The fruit was sweeter and juicier than any she'd ever tasted. She looked up at him, then immediately flicked her eyes away, afraid he'd somehow know she'd been spying on him while he was under the waterfall. Had he peeked at her, too, while she was bathing? Suddenly she felt self-conscious.

Link glanced at her just in time to see a little peach juice dribble over her lips and flow down her chin. He wanted to lick it away, follow that juicy trail all the way up into her sweet pink mouth. He looked away quickly.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," she said when she'd finished.

Link nodded. He was already taking off his boots and belt. They both knew they were going to the Forest Temple the next day, though they hadn't discussed it.

"Why don't you kiss her good-night?" Navi teased from inside his hat.

"Shh!" he hissed. Malon paused in the middle of licking the juice off her fingers and raised an eyebrow at him. "Er..." He laughed nervously.

Link lay awake for a little while after Malon had gone to sleep. She was lying beside him with her back to him, her ribs rising and falling gently. He wanted desperately to touch her, to pull her close to him, to kiss her neck and push his hands underneath her clothes... She smelled good, he thought to himself as he drifted off. When he woke once in the night, he moved a lock of red hair out of her face and went back to sleep. Navi bobbed against the ceiling, keeping watch over them through the night.

* * *

Malon couldn't explain what was happening. She felt like she was in a world that had no substance, only shadows and light. Someone was kissing her, someone whose mouth tasted like peaches, and she was kissing him back. It was Link, she realized, Link who was kissing her everywhere, Link who was touching her, and suddenly she realized her clothes were gone and his were gone, and his skin felt like silk in her hands, and he seemed to have a thousand mouths kissing her and a thousand hands touching her. And then he was on top of her and inside her and his arms were all around her, and with every movement he seemed to be filling her with a delicious liquid fire...

* * *

When Link woke up, Malon was gone. He put his hand out and touched the blankets where she had slept. They were still warm. He moved his face closer. They still smelled like her.

He stretched and groaned. Where had she gone?

He stepped outside, pulling his green tunic over his head. He looked around, his ears catching the sound of a sword singing in the air.

Malon was practicing sword forms at the training field. She was wearing only her pants and undershirt, which kept falling down to reveal her collarbone and the tops of her breasts.

Link tried to think about cutting grass.

Malon caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye and lowered her sword. "G-good morning," she said, turning to him slowly. A shred of her dream from the night before went skipping through her mind.

"Good morning," he said in a tiny voice, wondering why she suddenly seemed so bashful. The wind was blowing and the morning sun made her hair look like fire. She reminded him a little of a painting he'd once seen of the goddess Din. "Maybe you shouldn't tire yourself out," he advised shyly.

Malon nodded. Their two pairs of blue eyes stared at one another.

"I- I just wanted to be ready," she said. She lifted the sword again, swinging it from right to left.

"Don't bend your wrists like that," Link said, taking a step in her direction.

Malon looked up again. "Show me."

Link hesitated. "W-well, I'm not left-handed," he said, "but..." he moved behind her, heart pounding, and put his hands on top of hers. "Like this," he said breathlessly, swinging the sword for her. "You use your whole arm, your wrists aren't strong enough..."

Malon gulped, staring down at the hands covering hers. The dream was vivid in her memory, the dream in which those hands were touching her in ways she'd never been touched. "Er... maybe we should get ready to go."

"Yes. Let's do that," Link said quickly, breaking away from her.

They ate a silent breakfast of fruit and Kokiri flatbread with anise-flavored honey, and then prepared to go to the forest temple.

* * *

Before long they stood at the entrance to the Sacred Forest Meadow. Link wiped his brow. He was perspiring both from nerves and from the humidity. "Are you ready?" he asked Malon quietly.

"I hope so," she said. She had braided her hair and tied it up at the nape of her neck to keep it out of the way, and she was glad for it already. The air in the Lost Woods was warm and muggy, more so than she'd expected.

They stepped forward carefully, wary that something could leap out of the tall grass at any moment.

"Do you hear that?" Malon whispered. Link froze, listening. He could hear a sort of throaty grunting sound.

"Navi." he said. The fairy zoomed out of his hat and away. Malon stepped on a twig and made them both jump. In Link's childhood the meadow had been infested by Mad Scrubs – annoying, not terribly dangerous – but who knew what creatures had moved in since then?

"Moblins," Navi hissed, swooping back over the wall of the maze. "A bunch of them!"

Link took a deep breath and steadied his grip on his sword. He'd yet to encounter a Moblin, but Navi had described them to him before. He set his jaw. He'd killed far worse monsters before, he reminded himself. But his heart was pounding. He glanced at Malon. Could it be... that he was afraid for her? "Let's go," he said finally. He stepped into the narrow passageway.

Link barely had time to hear the alarmed, piggish grunt before the Moblin charged him, pushing him back some ten feet and knocking him into a pit filled with collected rainwater. Link spluttered. The creature lifted its spear again. Link let himself go limp in the water, playing dead. Apparently satisfied, the Moblin turned its back and marched off. Link grabbed onto the edge of the pit, pulling his hookshot out from under his shield. The creature gave a pained groan as the sharp hook pierced its spine and it fell to the ground, dead.

Malon, who had leaped back just in time, rushed to his side and helped him pull himself out of the water. "Are you all right?"

"Idiot," Navi muttered affectionately.

Link nodded. His shirt of chain mail was all that had saved him from being impaled.

"Maybe we should be more careful," Malon said. He nodded again, still out of breath.

They made their way cautiously through the rest of maze, peeking around corners with their backs to the wall. As large and brutish as they were, it was obvious that the Moblins were not particularly bright, and it also seemed as though many of them were mostly blind. Malon examined the body of a particularly large one with a massive club. It had been concentrating so hard on its job that it didn't even turn around to defend itself when they slipped past it and attacked it from behind.

"Look at that," she said, holding one of its eyes open. "Cataracts in both eyes. No wonder it couldn't hit us."

Link grimaced. He had never thought to stop and look at the body of a dead monster, much less touch it. He tried with little avail to clean the sticky red Moblin blood off of the hookshot.

"Come on," he said. "The temple's just up these stairs."

Together they jogged up the long flight of stone steps. Link hoped, half-expected, wished that Saria would be there, sitting on her tree stump, waiting for him. That she had some explanation for why she hadn't been home, that she was all right and they could all just go home.

But she wasn't there. Link walked slowly towards the tree stump where she so often sat, playing her ocarina. He heard Malon's footsteps follow him. The memory of Saria, the _feeling_ of Saria, was so strong it was almost tangible, as if he could blink and suddenly his best friend would be there, smiling at him.

Something moved in his peripheral vision. Malon had her sword out in an instant. It was Sheik again, that strange young man they'd met at the Temple of Time.

Sheik stepped towards them, paying no attention to Malon's brandished blade. "The flow of time is always cruel," he said to Link. "Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it..."

Malon watched him warily. Something about him didn't seem right to her, but she couldn't figure out what it was. He wasn't watching her this time, but the eye emblazoned on his shirt seemed to follow her as she moved closer to Link.

"A thing that doesn't change with time," the strange youth continued, casting his eyes down on the tree stump, "is a memory of younger days."

Link gulped. Was it possible that Sheik could read his mind?

"In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest." Sheik drew out a harp, nodding to Link. He traced a short little melody in three and Link followed along on his ocarina. Malon hummed it to herself.

"Link..." Sheik said when he had finished. He took a few steps backward, then turned his blood-red eye to Malon. "I'll see you again."

There was a small pop and a blinding flash, and then he was gone. Link's head jerked around, trying to see where he had gone. But the other boy had vanished.

Malon sighed and put away her sword. Sheik made her uneasy, in a way she couldn't describe.

They both looked up at the mouth of the temple. There had once been stairs leading up to it, but they had crumbled ages ago.

"The Kokiri used to worship here," Navi said. "A long, long time ago."

Malon wondered if Navi had ever been inside the temple before, but she didn't ask. She wasn't sure how much Link knew of the fairy's past, or even if he knew that she had once been companion to someone else.

It was terribly still. It seemed as though even insects were afraid to go near the temple nowadays. Its walls surrounded them, and seemed almost to be stretching, leaning in to trap them. It looked much more forbidding, Link thought, without Saria here.

"How do we get in?" Malon wondered aloud.

"I have an idea," Link said, hookshot in hand. He held an arm out to her. "Hold onto me."

Malon obliged, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He put one of his around her waist. They both might have gotten a thrill out of it were they not so overwhelmed by the aura of the temple. Link fired the hookshot up into the branch of the tree overhead. They were pulled swiftly up, then dropped, a little clumsily, to the ground in front of the door.

Even though there was no wind, they thought they could almost hear a low moaning sound coming from inside. The stones from which it was built seemed ancient and alive to them, and they felt small and vulnerable. They stared into the darkness in front of them.

"Are you afraid?" Link asked, not looking at her.

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Me too."

They looked at each other for a moment, as if they feared they'd never see each other again.

"_Kiss her,"_ Navi urged from inside Link's hat.

They drew their swords and headed into the Forest Temple.

* * *

We were inspired to continue this story by all of you who continued to comment and message us during our long absence.

Kaori: Yes, that's a bribe. Please review!


	11. The Forest Temple

Disclaimer: After all these years, we still don't own the Legend of Zelda. Goddammit.

* * *

"Watch out!" Navi squealed as Malon tried to dodge the attack of the Wolfos. Its claws grazed her upper arm. She swung her sword at it, but it leaped back out of her range and began to circle her slowly, snarling.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Link with his shield up, defending himself against the slashing attacks of the other Wolfos. The monster's back was to her. She saw her opportunity and slashed at the creature, leaving a raw, gaping slit across its back. It whirled around with a howl to defend itself, but fell dead at Link's sword. The second creature backed away from them, snarling, but it too soon fell.

Malon examined the scratch on her arm. It was bleeding slightly, but didn't look too serious.

"Are you all right?" Link said, looking worried.

"I'm fine," she said. It stung, but she'd had worse. She wished that she had a shield, or a pair of gauntlets, or even sleeves for gods' sakes. Her arms weren't long enough to carry a Hylian shield; they hadn't exactly been designed with women in mind.

"Are you sure you want to come along?"

"Of course," she said, wiping her sword on the grass. She'd made a choice after all, less than a week ago.

Link looked around the room, in order to make sure they didn't miss anything. He was glad she was coming with him, but at the same time he was terrified to see her get hurt.

"Hey!" Navi called from the top of one of the trees. "There's a chest up here!"

Malon watched Link climb up the vines on the wall. It seemed terribly high. She had to look away as he crossed the precariously narrow branches above. Just thinking about it made her dizzy.

"It was a key," Link called as he climbed back down. He held it out as he approached where she sat on the steps. "Can you hold onto it?"

Malon nodded, threading it onto her belt. "Shall we?" she said, nodding her head toward the door. Link nodded back.

They passed into a corridor guarded by a huge, swollen Skulltula that dropped down on them as they approached. It spun slowly, its weight seeming far too great for the wisp of silk that supported it. Malon hung back, learning from Link's example. When its distended, black abdomen faced them Link fired the hookshot at it. The arachnid burst open with a horrible popping sound, splattering them both with its yellow-green innards. Malon recoiled, wiping it out of her face.

"Y-you'll get used to it," Link said, looking rather sickened, and very much as if he were not used to it at all.

They continued through the next door. The air in the temple was cool, but stale, and it left a peculiar smell in their noses like dust and rotting plants. The main room was vast and dark, illuminated by four eerie, colored flames in the center of the room. A strange wooden frame stood at the center, like a box with no sides.

As Malon and Link descended the stairs, the four flames seemed to separate from their torches, twisting, melting until they had morphed into the shapes of four ghosts with mischievous eyes, each bearing a torch. They each turned and drifted off in separate directions, and as they went, the strange box sank into the floor.

"The- the Poe sisters?" Link whispered. "I-I didn't think they were real."

"It's an old Kokiri legend," Navi explained to Malon as they passed through the vast central chamber. Link paused to tap on the square of wood that now lay flush with the floor at the center of the room. "Four sisters once were the caretakers of the temple until an evil force sealed them inside, and they died here. Their spirits still remain trapped inside, guarding the temple against intruders. I guess it's true after all."

Link shivered a bit, thinking of the nights in his childhood when he'd been too frightened to fall asleep after Branch told a story about lost travelers dying horrible deaths at the hands of the spirits in the forest.

"What's that?" Malon wondered aloud, peering through the gloom. She trotted towards it to get a better look.

"What?" Link parroted, following her. Then, "Oh. Oh, goddess."

It was the body of a warrior, though not much was left of him but scraps of petrified skin stretched across bones. He'd encountered corpses before, even animated ones, but this was the first time Link had seen a dead body, a dead person, outside of a tomb. The prospect of death within the temple seemed suddenly much more real and imminent. He backed away, then realized Malon was reaching out to touch it.

"What are you _doing?_" He hissed as she took the corpse by the arm. The limb detached from the body and a few fingers fell off as she wrestled with its gauntlet.

"What?" she said as she liberated the other gauntlet from its former owner. "I need these." She shook the dust off of them and slipped her hands inside, tightening the straps. They were plated with steel and went all the way up to her elbows.

"But..." Link felt he should protest, though he didn't have a rational argument to present.

"It's not like he's _using_ them," Malon said, moving her wrists and fingers. They were loose around her hands, but the straps pulled tightly enough to fit around her forearms. She was secretly almost as repulsed by what she'd done as Link was, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as she adjusted the buckles. But she needed something to protect her arms, especially if she couldn't find a shield she could carry properly.

Link felt Navi fly back into his hat. "Straight ahead is the only way that's not blocked off," she told him.

"Let's keep going," he said. Malon nodded.

* * *

Malon was sweating bullets. The Stalfos was huge, had at least a foot and a half on her. And every blow she struck at it seemed to just bounce off its ribs, doing no harm. She was doing her best to parry its attacks, but she was getting tired, fast. Rauru's words were suddenly ringing in her ears.

"_You may not find it useful for hacking through bone..."_

She wanted to call out for help, there was no way she could kill the monster by herself, but she was afraid if she so much as glanced away she'd lose her head.

She blocked another strike with her sword. She could feel herself being pushed back into a corner. The Stalfos' glowing, hollow eyes seemed to burn into hers. Her back hit the wall. She was trapped.

Suddenly she had an idea. She dropped to the floor as quickly as she could, scrambling through its skeletal legs. She grabbed one of its ankles and pulled as hard as she could. The Stalfos was thrown off balance, and toppled to the floor, its joints shattering. She saw its bones twitch on the ground and knew it wouldn't be down for long.

Link was having trouble of his own. The Stalfos just kept coming at him and seemed to block every attack.

Something flew through the air and struck the Stalfos square in the skull. It froze.

"Hey!" Link heard a voice say. "Over here!"

Link and the Stalfos both turned away. Malon was waving her arms in the center of the room. Was she crazy? The monster charged at her and she sidestepped it. Its spine and ribs were now exposed to Link. He lunged for it, understanding her plan now. Its bones shattered under the weight of the Master Sword.

"The other one's not down," Malon said, breathlessly. "My sword – I – I couldn't hurt it." The Stalfos Malon had tripped was beginning to reassemble itself. She saw the femur she had chucked at the other skeleton begin to skitter across the floor. She snatched it, wrestling desperately to keep it from reuniting with the rest of its body. "Link, now!" she called.

Link rushed at the crippled Stalfos. It thrashed around on the ground, unable to stand without its missing leg bone. Link bashed its head in with the flat side of his sword, smashed its ribs, its arms, its spine. Finally, it lay still. Malon dropped to her knees with a sigh. The Stalfos femur crumbled to dust in her hand. She grinned up at Link, breathing heavily.

"Are you... are you okay?" he said, panting slightly.

"Fine," she laughed. "Just- just out of breath." A few stray red hairs were sticking to her face.

Something was beginning to materialize in the center of the room – a chest. Without the Stalfos, the spell concealing it was broken.

"Another key," Link said. He tossed it to Malon and she slipped it onto her belt.

"Ready to move on?" she asked, peeling her sweaty hair out of her face.

He nodded, holding out his hand to help her up.

They headed back to the main room of the temple and attempted to unlock the chains barring their passage through the western door, but neither of the keys they'd found fit the lock.

"What do we do now?" Malon said, leaning against the door. The temple air felt dead inside her lungs.

"Er..." he scratched his head nervously. His eyes caught hers in the dim light and his heart jumped up into his throat. She was sweaty and her face was smudged with dirt, but she still looked beautiful to him.

"There's one way we haven't tried," Navi said, bobbing up and down. "It's blocked off."

"Blocked off how?" Link said, allowing himself to rest for a moment against the stone railing.

"With a block, idiot," Navi said dryly.

"Maybe we can move it," Malon suggested. She brushed some dirt off her tunic, though after being splattered with blood and spider guts it was a futile gesture.

"There are markings on it," Link said as they approached the huge stone block. He squinted.

"Hey..." Navi said. "Isn't that the same design that's on the Door of Time?"

Link rummaged for a moment in his bag and pulled out his ocarina. Malon watched in amazement as the block began to glow blue, then disappear.

"How'd you learn to play, anyway?" she asked, wondering if Link had somehow been indoctrinated into some secret musical society that had taught him all the magical songs he seemed to know.

"Saria taught me," he said simply.

"The girl we're here to rescue?"

"She's my best friend."

Best friend... Malon didn't have a best friend, unless horses counted. Aside from Link, her cousins, and a few kids from the castle town, she hadn't known many people her age.

Light poured in at them as Link opened the door. They found themselves in a courtyard, blinking under the sudden light. Link breathed deeply. Fresh air had never tasted so good.

Malon felled the big Deku Baba as Link dispatched the Octorok spitting stones at them from the water. Once the yard was cleared, Malon knelt to drink from the stream.

"It looks like the water's flowing from under the wall here," she said, pointing. "Maybe we could swim under and see where it takes us."

Link shook his head.

"There's no way to know if you'd be able to come up for air," Navi explained.

"We need to go that way," Link said, pointing to the far wall. Malon looked up. Vines led up the wall to an alcove, nearly two stories off the ground. She blanched.

"What's wrong?" Navi asked.

"You're afraid of heights," Link said quietly. He'd noticed in Kakariko Village, where so many stairways were built directly into the cliff faces, how she'd deliberately stayed as close to the wall as possible and would never look over the edge. "You can do it," he said. "Just keep climbing and don't look down."

It didn't bother Link to look down while he was climbing, but he did make the mistake of looking up. Malon had started up the wall first, and her round, firm buttocks were directly in his line of sight. Link wondered if Malon looked like a Kokiri without clothes on or if... he didn't know. He'd never seen a Hylian girl naked. He felt blood rush to his face at the thought – and to other places as well.

But suddenly, he was falling. Distracted, he'd allowed a Skulltula to knock him off the wall. He hit the ground with a thud, sending a shuddering shock of pain through his whole body.

"Link!"

He groaned, unable for a moment to move.

"Are you okay?"

He sat up, slightly dazed.

"Get up," Navi hissed, flitting back and forth around his head. "And for Din's sake, can't you keep your eyes to yourself?"

* * *

"Soo... we're here?"

"No, we're here. We just came from over there."

"You're holding it upside down."

"I am not!" Link pulled the map away indignantly.

The wicked laughter of the orange-flamed Poe sister ricocheted off the walls as she vanished from portrait to portrait. Their swords couldn't slice the canvas, nor could they remove the frames from the wall. The ghost's taunting was grating on their nerves – Navi included.

"Well, either way," the fairy said, flitting back and forth in agitation, "we're heading into that central room, right?"

Malon nodded. Strands of her hair were falling out of her red braid and getting in her face. Link's blue eyes had drifted away from the map and towards the door in front of them. He had a feeling there was a difficult fight behind that door.

When they felt rested enough (and could bear the snickering ghost no longer) they crossed into the next chamber, a round room with a hole about two yards across in the center of the floor. Malon was relieved that it wasn't under the dizzying spell of the Wallmaster. The twisted corridor had given her such terrible vertigo that she'd had to be led along by the hand with her eyes closed.

As they stepped into the room, iron bars slammed down over the door, blocking their exit. In the dim light, they could just make out an armored figure rising from the dust on the other side of the room. Another Stalfos.

Malon put her sword away. It was useless to her here. "I'll try to distract it," she said. "Just... don't let it kill me." She flashed a smile that seemed even more dazzling and white against her dirty face and scabbed lip. Link nodded, his heart jumping a bit, and they both took off running. Link met the monster head-on, small sparks flying from the forceful meeting of their swords. The Stalfos leapt away nimbly with a low growl that a creature with no windpipe shouldn't have been able to make. Link made a slash for the creature's legs, but the Stalfos blocked it. Link put up his shield just as the crooked skeleton-sword came down on him. He felt the impact rattle all the way up his arm. Suddenly the Stalfos turned away – Malon was throwing rocks at it. Link brought the Master Sword down on the Stalfos' back as heavily as he could. As the creature swung around wildly, the hilt of its sword struck Link in the side of the head. He stumbled, dropping his sword and falling to one knee.

Malon was still throwing rocks, but it didn't seem to phase the Stalfos now that it had easy prey in front of it. Thoughts raced through her mind like flashes of lightning, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. The Stalfos was raising its sword again, but Link still wasn't standing, she had to do something...

Link heard the sound of something shattering, and a sliver of something flew past his face, grazing his ear. The Stalfos roared in indignation and turned away. Link realized that Malon had thrown a jar at it. He looked at the monster, then at the gaping hole in the floor just a few feet away. Hardly giving himself time to think, he lunged at the monster, ramming it with all his weight. It toppled over the edge and met its demise with an unholy crunch.

Link sighed and let himself go limp on the dirty floor for a moment, then began to pick himself up with a groan.

"Link! Watch it!"

The room's central platform came crashing down, carrying two more of the cursed knights. There was a groan of fatigued wood and Malon thought for a second that the whole room was going to cave in on itself.

"Hell," Link said to himself.

"Get up!" Navi shrieked. He dragged himself up off of the ground, his body whining in protest, and managed to get his shield up just in time to block the monster's crooked sword. He took an arching swing at the monster's lower legs. He got lucky and his blade struck bone. The Stalfos fell, crippled, and he broke its bones with the Master Sword.

Meanwhile, the gauntlets Malon had taken off the dead man were saving her life. The Stalfos was upon her before she had the chance to draw her sword to defend herself, and all she could do was put her arms up and hope that the Goron's Bracelet gave her enough strength to resist its attacks.

"Link!" she screamed. "Help!"

She felt the blows shuddering through her, and her arms seemed to weaken with each impact. Strong or not, her joints could only handle so much.

The Stalfos apparently heard Link coming, because it spun around to face him. Link parried just in time and the Stalfos leaped over his head with an unearthly groan. Malon stumbled backwards. She was running out of adrenaline. She saw Link chase after it, having a hard time matching its agility. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move.

Link turned as the Stalfos finally fell, only to see Malon tackle the other one, the one he thought he'd killed.

"They must be linked by some spell," Navi called. "Kill the other one fast!"

Link was more than happy to oblige. Malon had somehow managed to wrestle its shield away, so it was left defenseless. Finally, they were both dead, and their bones crumbled into dust on the floor.

"Oh man," Malon said, short of breath. "Fuck those guys."

And Link, who didn't smile much, smiled. In fact, he was so surprised by it that he didn't realize until after the fact that he had put his arms around her, and she had returned the gesture.

* * *

Little by little, they made their way through the rest of the temple. Link proved to be hopelessly inexperienced with a bow, so Malon, who had done archery for sport since she was very young, had taken over the responsibility. As they rode the elevator down to the basement, Link wondered how he would have fared without her. She'd been able to fire an arrow through a torch's flame into a switch from a moving platform when he could barely shoot straight, and she had jerked him out of the way just in time to save him from being crushed by a falling ceiling. Now, she was helping him push the walls of a rotunda that he might not have been able to move himself. Finally, they stood before a massive door, and Malon held the key in her hand.

"What do you think is on the other side?" she asked, turning the golden, bejeweled key over in her hands.

"Something big," Navi said, bobbing warily.

"Saria," Link murmured. He was still hoping that they would find her behind that door, alive and unharmed. But his past experiences taught him that the most terrible monster of them all would be behind this last door, the last sleeping guardian of the temple. If Saria had disturbed it... he knew she never carried a weapon other than a slingshot. She would hardly have been a match. Hundreds of horrifying images flashed through his head as Malon turned the key in the lock.

"Are you ready?" Malon asked as the giant door opened.

Link nodded, staring ahead into the gloom. He was exhausted, his whole body ached, but there was no turning back now. They stepped through the door, which slammed down heavily behind them. Link caught his breath, hastily looking back and forth in the low light. The fact that nothing leapt out at them caused him more anxiety than relief. He knew there was something in this room.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw a stairway to their right, leading upwards. They climbed it silently. Malon's breath was shallow and uneasy. She had no idea what to expect, but she could sense Link's tension, and Navi's as well.

They found themselves on a platform emblazoned with the Triforce. The room was octagonal, and beyond the velvet rope marking the edge of the floor, they saw that each wall bore a copy of the same painting – a winding trail lined by twisted, dead trees. Though the air here was so still and stale it was almost choking, the paintings remained miraculously free of dust, as if some ghostly curator had dutifully maintained them.

"There's nothing," Malon said after a few moments. "Nothing's here."

Link felt as though he had been deflated. Where was Saria? Where was the temple's most devilish guardian? And what would they do now, after having come so far only to find nothing?

"Something isn't right," Navi said warily. Link nodded in agreement. He and Malon circled the platform slowly. Perhaps there really was nothing here, after all.

Link sighed, and motioned towards the stairs with a toss of his head. Malon nodded and the pair moved back towards the stairway. But as they approached the threshold, iron spikes shot up from the floor, blocking their path.

Link's hair stood up on end.

Behind them, out of nowhere, a tall, redhaired main on a devilish black stallion had materialized. Malon instantly recognized him as the man who had attacked Link at the castle gates... what seemed like merely days ago, but in fact was seven whole years. Link was frozen in place. He knew that he'd have to fight Ganondorf, he just didn't realize it would be so soon.

But as the horse whinnied and reared up on its back legs, Malon realized the its eyes were milky and dead. The Gerudo man chuckled quietly to himself, and as he reached a hand up to smooth back his hair, his whole face seemed to catch fire, skin and flesh burning and peeling back to reveal an empty, jawless skull with two demonic horns. The horse whinnied again and leapt up into the air, where it levitated effortlessly.

"He's a phantom!" Navi cried, darting back and forth. "An evil spirit from beyond!"

The horse and rider reared up again, in midair, the phantom Ganon laughing again as they disappeared through a portal, into one of the paintings. Link drew his sword, trying to keep calm. Malon stared, frozen in place, as the specter galloped away down the painted path.

"He's coming back!" Navi shouted urgently. "Malon, shoot him! Shoot him!"

Malon drew the fairy bow and her eyes darted wildly around the room, watching for him. Then she saw the horse running back down the path towards them in a different painting. She fired an arrow, but the ghost turned around, fleeing once again.

"It's a trick!" Navi hissed. "There's two of them!" But phantom Ganon had already leapt across the room, dropping a ball of lightning with a deafening crack. Every hair on Malon's body stood on end, but fortunately, both she and Link were unharmed for now. She trained the bow on each painting, watching for some glimpse of the ghostly rider. This time she saw the vortex start to open with a rush of wind and purple smoke, and as her arrow struck home the rider was sucked back into the painting with a grunt of pain. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would explode from her chest. With the help of Link and Navi's watchful eyes, she sunk a second and a third arrow into the phantom as it attempted to emerge from the painting.

As the third arrow struck, the black horse threw its rider, running back into the painting alone. Ganon hung in the air before them for a moment, his body dangling limply like a rag doll. Then he spun his heavy staff around and lobbed a sparkling ball of light across the room. Link and Malon both leapt aside.

"Answer his magic attack with an attack of your own," Navi whispered to Link.

"What does that _mean?_" he hissed back, putting up his shield, but the fairy had flitted away. He felt the attack strike his shield, tossing sparks up into his eyes. He reeled backwards, temporarily blinded, and when he opened his eyes, he saw another ball tearing through the air towards him. Hardly even thinking, he batted it away with his sword. To his surprise, the magical attack bounced off, careening away towards the wall, where it left a scorch mark on the wall.

The phantom turned towards Malon, who was trying to draw her own sword to defend herself with. The attack struck her with the blade halfway out of the scabbard, and rather than deflecting away from her, the metal conducted the lightning straight into her body. She screamed, feeling as if her whole body were on fire, and staggered backwards. Link turned to see her fall back against the velvet rope, where she seemed to balance for a split second before tumbling over it, off of the platform.

"No!" he shouted. He ran to where she had fallen, rolling to dodge another ball of lightning. His eyes combed the ground below, but it was too dark to see anything.

"Watch out!" Navi shrieked, too late. Phantom Ganon's attack struck Link square in the back and he writhed in pain, his muscles twitching involuntarily. He staggered to his feet, using a metal post for balance, and turned to face his opponent. He tasted blood in his mouth and his body tingled. This time when the lightning flew, he was ready for it, and he knocked it back towards its caster. The phantom fell to the ground, electricity crackling over its body, and Link rushed forward, striking out with his sword. He only got one hit in before the spirit revived itself and cast another glowing orb towards him. Unprepared, Link was struck again and he fell to the floor, unable to keep himself upright.

"Get up, get up, get up!" Navi called frantically, spinning around his head at a dizzying pace. He managed to sit himself up just in time to roll out of the way of another spell. Dragging himself to his feet, Link raised his shield and kept a watchful eye on the floating phantom. He hit it away with his sword, and it flew into one of the paintings, which smoldered for a moment and then began to burn.

Malon was slipping in and out of consciousness. She had fallen six or seven feet from the platform and then continued to roll down the stairs. She now lay splayed near the bottom with her head at an unnatural angle. She seemed detached from her body, and though she wanted to get up, she couldn't move. She heard Link screaming in agony, and she knew it was a familiar voice, but she couldn't make sense of anything. Darkness encroached upon her, fingers of black fog that seemed to be covering her vision from the insides of her eyes. She drifted away again.

Link's whole body was shaking as he swung his sword. The apparition of Ganon had caught on to his tactic and now would volley the lightning right back at him, over and over until one of them was hit. The Master Sword was dragging on the ground behind him as he rushed towards the fallen phantom. With the last of his strength, he stabbed the blade into Ganon's ghostly flesh.

The phantom Ganon flew through the air, dislodging itself from the Master Sword, still twitching from the electric shock. Link stared, unable to think, as the demon hung in the air like the marionette it was, and slowly began to burn. Link's knees gave way and he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"Hey kid, you did quite well..." said a familiar voice, a voice that would have sent shivers down Link's spine if he had been capable of any feeling. "It looks like you may be gaining some slight skill..."

The purplish vortex opened up in the floor below the burning phantom of Ganon. Link was sure that he was going to die.

"But you have defeated only my phantom... When you fight the real me, it won't be so easy!"

Link found himself laughing, though it burned in his chest.

"What a worthless creation that ghost was!" said the disembodied voice of Ganondorf. "I will banish it to the gap between dimensions!"

Link's eyes closed. If Ganondorf had any more to say, he didn't hear it.

* * *

Malon lay in the stillness. She could smell something burning. So that was an improvement – she had at least one of her senses.

"Malon?" said a voice. "Malon, please wake up!"

Her eyes flickered open. The glowing ball of Navi was hovering in her vision. She blinked a moment, but seemed unable to do anything else. Navi flitted away.

_Link._

What had happened to him?

She coughed. Whatever was burning was filling the room with an acidic smelling smoke. The cough seemed to send a shock of feeling through her body. She was lying on her back, with her head somehow below the rest of her... she was confused for a moment, then remembered falling down the stairs. With immense concentration, she managed to flex the fingers in her hand. She felt the hilt of her sword still clutched between them. She squeezed it, and it seemed to give her strength.

With tremendous effort, she managed to sit herself up, leaning against the wall to keep herself upright.

"Navi," she called, weakly. "Navi?" She coughed again.

The fairy zoomed back towards her, flitting back and forth in agitation. "Malon!" she cried. "You're awake!"

Malon nodded weakly, and as she did her neck popped loudly. She winced.

"It's Link," the fairy said desperately, sounding as if she were near tears. "He killed the phantom but he's unconscious... I can't wake him up!"

Malon allowed her head to fall back against the wall for a moment. She could feel nothing but pain. Her hands tightened around the hilt of Din's blade. She didn't know if she could stand, but maybe she could still crawl. Link was the Hero of Time... what would happen to Hyrule if he died?

What would she do if he died?

Every tiny movement was agonizing as she dragged herself up the stairs, and she had to stop to rest several times, but she finally managed to crawl up onto the platform, where she lay still for a moment, panting. The smoke was so thick here it was hard to see, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shadowy figure of Link, lying still on the floor. A spark ran through her and she pushed herself up onto her elbows, crawling towards him as quickly as she could.

"Link," she said hoarsely, doing her best to sit up. A bluish glow was emanating from the center of the platform, illuminating his face. "Link, wake up." She coughed, and waved her hand weakly, trying to dispel the smoke. She leaned in towards him, trying to listen for his breathing, but her own breath seemed so loud she couldn't hear anything else. She tried to feel for a pulse at his throat, but her own heartbeat was too tangible for her to be sure if what she felt was his heart or her own. Smoke stung at her eyes, which had begun to tear up. With all the strength that she could muster, she pulled his torso up into her lap.

"Please wake up," she said. She brushed some hair out of his face, then allowed her fingers to follow the lines of his cheek over his jaw and down his neck. His skin was soft and flushed with sweat.

Link's blonde eyelashes began to flutter. "He's waking up!" Malon said, coughing again. Navi swirled around them, shimmering rapidly.

"That blue light," Navi said, "You'll both be safe if you can get into that blue light!"

Link's eyes opened. He stared up at her for a moment, as if unsure of what had happened. "Don't cry," he mumbled as a tear started to roll down her cheek. She didn't know anymore if the tears were from the smoke, or if she were actually crying. All she knew is that her hair had come loose and was trailing over both their faces, that her lips had touched his, that she was kissing him and he was kissing her back. Slowly, his arms came up to encircle her.

They stayed like that for a moment before Malon pulled away from him, blushing. Link was embarrassed but at the same time he wasn't. Finally they managed to drag themselves into the ring of blue light, and then they were floating away, and neither of them felt any pain.

* * *

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